holmesian deduction - how can I learn how to do it?
Posted Sep 10, 2011, 11:26 PM UTC
37
Uhhh... pardon? Are you referring to sherlock holmes? The fact that he was able to deduce things from small queues? First thing first: it's a fictional character. If you wish to see what a person can do when its his job, I suggest you find a detective and ask him/her for tips. But the whole thing as I understand it is to find the right context in which the queues might make sense. Also you need to train your brain to start paying attention to small details which normally we very easily ignore.
5
Well, for one thing, Holmes did a lot of coke. A regular Victorian snowblower.
It increases mental activity and creativity, and thus stimulates the ability to examine multiple possibilities.
Also, he was fictional and his logic contrived for the plot.
3
I popped in to simply find out what "Holmesian Deduction" was. I was quite excited, hoping to learn something new.
I am assuming OP that you are young, and based on that youth you have determined there must me a cliff notes version of learning deduction. I also sumise that you are of East Coast lineage based on...
Sorry, I wore myself out.
Just get out into the world, read a ton and meet a ton of people, learn as much as you possibly can, and once in your life you will be presented with a moment where you can dertermine in a very Holmes like fashion that someone is a brick layer based on scars on his knees and dust on his boots.
2
And the fact that he has introduced himself as 'Gavin, the Brickie...'
1
holmes was based on a doctor called Joseph bell ( or was it john dickson carr ?).
I'm guessing House MD comes close to that guy.
( also, House MD has sherlock holmes based inspiration/references - House -Holmes, Watson-Wilson, 221B Baker Street etc ).
so, while Holmes was a fictional character , I wouldn't dismiss the skills he possesses to be impossible.
learn how to do it ? practise , I guess ..
1
Most of the time Holmes didn't actually deduce things -- he used inductive reasoning quite a bit more than deductive.
1
If you look closely at Sherlock holmes stories, you'll notice he's drawing incredibly exact ideas from small details which could have a thousand explanations. This is just because the story is written backwards by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who started out with a brilliant murder and then left clues for Holmes to grab onto to. Nobody can actually draw correct conclusions that quickly.