Blind Men and an Elephant

I came across this terminology - "Blind men and an elephant" - and I know I've heard it somewhere. I asked my American friends and no one seems to know about it. According to Wikipedia: The story of the blind men and an elephant appears to have originated in India, In various versions of the tale, a group of blind men touch an elephant to learn what it is like. Each one touches a different part, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then compare notes on what they felt, and learn they are in complete disagreement. The story is used to indicate that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one's perspective. Various versions are similar, and differ primarily in how the elephant's body parts are described, how violent the conflict becomes, and how (or if) the conflict among the men and their perspectives is resolved.