Sherlock Holmes and Critical Thinking
One of the masters of “critical thinking” was Sherlock Holmes. This character created by the English
author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, embodied in his adventures some of the purest forms of inductive
and deductive reasoning and critical analysis.
Homework Assignment: Pick any Sherlock Holmes novel or movie that is listed on the CANVAS site.
It must be authored by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Read it or watch it. Rather than getting “caught up”
in the plot, try to examine the Holmes character and how he reasons (meta-analysis). In other words,
try to pretend that you are Dr. Watson as you examine how Holmes “teaches you” to deduce right
along with him. It might be very helpful for you to watch the video more than once in order to try to be
“objective” in answering the questions below
Throughout the movie, we also see his deductive powers used in creative ways to solve problems or uncover information — such as when he uses an empty wine bottle as evidence to recreate where Moriarty was hiding during one scene. He also shows remarkable creativity in formulating strategies and tactics for combatting Moriarty's criminal organization — such as ordering Dr Watson to stay with a group of gypsies rather than pursue him so that they would be able to help out if necessary.
We observe further examples of Holmes' analytical powers when he pieces together various clues left behind by Moriarty or other criminals while on their trail — including using a magnifying glass to read tiny letters written inside a pocket watch given to him by Irene Adler. His encyclopedic knowledge of literature also proves invaluable during several scenes - particularly when trying to determine who was responsible for killing Professor Presbury's daughter-in-law Celia Moran (which turned out not be anyone but instead some kind of 'animal').
Finally, we can appreciate one more example of how Holmes' sharp wit and resourcefulness come into play when helping Watson elude capture from German soldiers after attempting rescue Professor Presbury - using nothing but a large firework display! All these examples demonstrate how important it is for us all cultivate our own personal skillsets in order to become better problem solvers like Sherlock himself – whether it be learning new languages or researching topics more deeply before making decisions based off incomplete facts – developing our own “inner detective” will definitely aid us along life’s journey!