Blind ecologists and the ecological elephant

We are committed to there being a real world out there, but our understanding is shaped by our individual interests and experiences.  We each sense something about the ecological elephant but our perceptions are of different parts of the beast.  How can we erect and contextualize our claims for truth while knowing that our perceptions are limited and various? Determining truth about nature is a difficult philosophical problem. To know the ecological elephant, we must empirically test beliefs, accept provisional truths, reject unsupportable claims, practice professional humility, act collectively, and educate wisely.