Elementary, My Dear Reader: Three Steps to Teaching Yourself How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes
Mindfulness, imagination, and critical thinking
Sherlock Holmes has always been one of my favorite fictional figures. A part of me has always thought that Arthur Conan Doyle, his creator, actively placed highly elaborate clues so that his readers could solve the mysteries on their own.
However, I soon realized that this idea was only speculative, the answer was only elementary for Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes was designed by his author as a personification of the scientific method. He follows a series of systematic steps based on observation, hypothesis generation and hypothesis testing, to solve police cases. This means that most of his methods are (in theory) replicable, but, to what extent does fiction reflect reality?
Sherlock Holmes into the real world
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based the deductive method of his character on one of his teachers at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Dr. Joseph Bell. The ability of his mentor to infer facts about his patients from observations, inspired Sherlock Holmes' routine.
Connan Doyle himself, shows detective’s skills when he investigates the case of a young man who was unjustly accused of animal mutilation on the Great Wyrley farms in 1906.
Sherlock Holmes it’s a product of imagination, but the strictness of his methods is real. The cases only are solved through a systematic process that Holmes teaches to Watson and motivates him to practice. We can apply this method to our daily life, but it won’t be easy.
The detective has special care about his judges because he is conscious of how the mind works. It is not like he has extrasensory perception, but he learns how to direct his attention and developed the habit of being aware of his thoughts.
These skills exist in the real world and can be developed once we have a little understanding of how we make decisions.
The brain’s autopilot
The brain is physically made up of neurons and all the information we have (memories and everything we have learned), is stored through the connection of two or more neurons. Connections get stronger as we repeatedly use what we have learned and the stronger those connections are, the easier and faster it is for the brain to access information.
To add new information, the brain works associatively. The external information is associated with your past experiences and then, unconsciously decides what is incorporated or not.
Because of this, the structure and content of our mind (what we decide to remember, our interests, or past experiences) unconsciously decide the information we perceive, our evaluations and conclusions.
If we are not conscious, our brain switches to autopilot mode, so our beliefs may not be rational.
The good news is that, despite this, we have the power to modify the structure and content of our mind. The bad news is that it will take effort to achieve mindfulness and consciousness to change our habitual thoughts.
To apply Holmes’ thinking model, it is necessary to be aware of why you make decisions about what happens in your day to day life.
It is not exactly about being skeptical of everything around you, but about making an effort to maintain the proper dedication and motivation to try to evaluate some situations objectively.
The three steps to think like Sherlock Holmes
The first step is based on direct observation, that is, trying to be selective about what goes into your mind. It is not just a passive process of letting objects enter in your visual field, but directing attention to the details that can give you the information you need.
Knowing where to direct attention is not something trivial, it requires a lot of practice to develop experience.
People who are experts in their respective fields, know what details to direct their attention to in order to make more accurate judgments. The detective and his real-life analog, Joseph Bell managed to develop this ability by observing hundreds of people who sought consultation.
The second step is to begin the reflective process through the use of your imagination. You must test different hypothetical combinations in your head to reevaluate the situation from another view.
Give yourself some time and a brief detachment from the problem (mental or physical) to let your brain connect the dots and identify information gaps or irregularities.
Remember, your interpretations must be objective, so try not to draw conclusions beyond the facts and evidence.
The third step is to put all the elements together in your line of thought in order to find the most plausible solution.
This step involves having identified the relevance of each detail that you have collected. If you’ve done the observing and imagining steps, you just need to decide what to do with the information.
Remember, all that matters is knowing what the premises are and where they can take you.
To be successful you must practice, always try to be aware and motivated!
Holmes constantly practices these habits and emphasizes the need to train the mind daily. Despite being a fictional character, he also makes mistakes. It is like a game, the key is the Praxis.
Like Dr. John H. Watson, you can keep a written journal that allows you to record your progress. You must challenge yourself to learn from your failures and successes. Try to formulate hypotheses and be aware of your habitual thoughts daily.
I promise you that mindful attention eventually will change your brain and the way you perceive the world. Good luck!
I recommend this book if you want to learn more about mindfulness and Sherlock Holmes’ thinking model. I took all the information from it.
Please let me know your opinion in the comments.
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