The Rashomon Effect

There is an Indian story I remember as a child. It is a story about six blind men and their quest to discover what an elephant is. Finally, they encountered an elephant on the street. The first blind man touched the elephant’s body and he exclaimed, “The elephant is like a wall.” The second man touched its ears and said, “The elephant is like a big fan.” The third got hold of the elephant’s tail and disagreed with his companions by saying, “The elephant is like a rope.” The fourth got hold of the elephant’s feet and made his own pronouncement, “The elephant is like a pillar.” The sixth held the animal’s trunk and said, “It is like a big water hose.” And the last man touched the elephant’s tusk and proclaimed, “You are all wrong. The elephant is like a spear.”

Obviously, with their limited view, the six men are right from their own vantage view yet they are also not entirely correct. But if one takes their accounts together, one gets a better picture of what an elephant is. This brings us to the title of this paper: The Rashomon Effect. Rashomon was a 1950 film by the great Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. It is a murder mystery set in 12^th century Japan. It centers on the four witnesses (the thief, the wife, the samurai and the woodcutter) giving different (even contradicting) accounts or versions on the crime that took place. Hence, from a singular event, different versions or perspectives are induced from such event. Other films (like Hero, Vantage Point and Courage Under Fire) employ the same technique. For the purpose of this paper, while there might be different accounts, these different versions, if all are taken into consideration, might give us a clearer picture of the reality that is presented. As such, every version and account matters.

For the past several weeks, each member of the class under Professor Nubiola was asked to present a paper on the different chapters of the book El taller de la filosofía. It is quite interesting to observe that while each read the same chapters, each presented or focused on different topics. And even when two members dwell on the same topic (e.g., the topic on “Order”), the way they presented their papers are quite unique and even have somewhat opposing views. While these exercises may have the primary objectives of encouraging the students to write and to apply the rudiments learned in the book in their writing, there is another important lesson which can be gleaned from these activities: Each of us has a story to tell, a unique point of view that embodies who we are. Each voice, each opinion, each perspective is important. These “subjective” truths matter. Recall the words of the poem Desiderata:  “Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.”

In writing a thesis paper one has to ask:  Why am I doing this thesis? There is a danger that one does it simply in order to get a licentiate or doctoral degree. Finish it and be done with it. Doing it simply to comply with the requirements of the university. The search for truth somehow takes a backseat. And why harbor such mentality? Perhaps one feels that others can do the searching far better as they are more qualified and have more experience in such matters. One may have the mindset that in the end one’s opinion is one among millions and that it does not really matter. So much so that submitting one’s thesis also sadly marks the end of one’s intellectual writing.

Each of us has the capacity to grasp the truth. One’s version of truth matters. It is important to have this type of mindset in writing one's thesis or any other writing that one chooses to endeavor. This same truth is not something private but has to be presented and shared to the intellectual community. In doing so, one’s version of truth becomes enriched, it is widened. Together with others, our participation somewhat lifts the shadow that sometimes obscure the path towards the truth. The lesson is this: each one of us has something to contribute, big or small, to the grand quest for truth. 

Two stonemasons were breaking rocks for the construction of a building. One is asked what he is doing and he replied somewhat annoyed, “I am breaking these big rocks into smaller ones.” The other one who is doing the same task is asked the same question. But he replied with pride, “I am building a cathedral!”