Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be simple fact? Do you argue whether it's cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit? If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant's trunk said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant's side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear as he touched the animal's tusk. The fourth, who got hold of the elephant's tail insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant's legs. The sixth, who was tall and got hold of the elephant's ears, said it was like a huge fan. Each man's idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a "simple fact", it's often because his experience in the matter is different from yours. To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a "simple fact", try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water in the third. Now put your left hand in the ice water. Put your right hand in the hot water. After thirty seconds, put both hands in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it's hot! What makes people think about simple facts differently?
The fact that simple facts differ from one another. The fact that people have different experience in the same simple fact. The fact that people often disagree with one another. The fact that it's hard to make up one's mind about simple facts.