Sherlock Holmes and Literature After the first weeks of meeting Dr. Watson wrote on his list that Holmes has no knowledge of literature. However, his mistake becomes visible to the attentive reader almost immediately - literally after a couple of pages between them

Sherlock Holmes and Shakespeare It is worth dwelling separately on Holmes's attitude towards Shakespeare. Still, throughout the entire epic, he quotes no less than fourteen plays of the great playwright, and one of them - “Twelfth Night” - twice, from which, as has already been said, Holmes scholars even

Sherlock Holmes and philosophy According to Dr. Watson, Holmes also had no knowledge of philosophy. And again the doctor was wrong. Holmes may not have been particularly keen philosophical theories, but given his deep knowledge of linguistics, history, religion and music

Sherlock Holmes and religion Of course, Holmes, like Conan Doyle, was a man of his time, so he combined rational thinking with faith in God. Without fanaticism, naturally, but also without the slightest signs of atheism. Conan Doyle was an ardent opponent of scientific materialism

Sherlock Holmes and politics It is difficult to say how interested Holmes was in politics, but one thing is certain - with a brother like Mycroft, he was aware of various nuances of governing the British Empire, which most ordinary people had never heard of. It can rather be said that

What did Sherlock Holmes smoke? Holmes was a heavy smoker, there is no doubt about it. At the first meeting, agreeing with Watson about living together, he asks: “I hope you don’t mind the smell of strong tobacco?” And in the future he smokes in almost every

Sherlock Holmes - writer Some of the works written by Holmes have already been mentioned, but of course this activity of his is worth dwelling on in more detail. Of course, he was not a professional writer, like Dr. Watson; all his works were scientific and/or

Sherlock Holmes and the press As you know, Holmes did not strive to be written about in the newspapers. However, he was very interested in the newspapers themselves. In those days printed publications were the only media, they were the ones who disseminated information and formed public opinion. Newspapers

Sherlock Holmes and emotions It is generally accepted that Holmes was a person of little emotion. This reputation was created for him, of course, by Watson, who wrote in A Scandal in Bohemia: “In my opinion, he was the most perfect thinking and observing machine the world has ever seen.” To break

Sherlock Holmes and racism A strange topic, isn't it? However, it has been actively discussed since the Holmes stories were included in the list of famous children's books that contain hidden racism in 2011. The reason for this was three episodes: 1) In “The Sign of Four” the author calls

Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty Anyone who has seen at least one film about Sherlock Holmes is well aware that main enemy the great detective - Professor Moriarty. However, out of sixty works about Holmes, the sinister professor appears in only... one. This is the story "The Last

Sherlock Holmes and hand-to-hand combat In the fight against criminals, Holmes used not only the power of his mind. Since he conducted the investigations personally, he often had to resort to physical force and sometimes use weapons. It can be established with absolute certainty that

Sherlock Holmes and drugs Even if Conan Doyle had been a seer who could look a hundred years into the future, he could not have endowed his hero with a vice that would be more relevant to future readers. Moreover, Holmes takes not the widely popular opium, but morphine (the predecessor

Well, as Sherlock Holmes himself said (the original, book, not from the series), his skill consists of three parts: knowledge, observation and the ability to draw conclusions.

1. Knowledge. Sherlock Holmes professionally owns several scientific disciplines necessary in his profession: chemistry, physics, biology, criminology, psychology, knows many techniques and methods used by law enforcement agencies, and also has an excellent knowledge of the legislation of his country. You can learn all this - at university, in special courses or on your own.

Holmes constantly keeps such a huge amount of information in his head that it must be carefully systematized. For this, different “incarnations” of Holmes were used different methods. “Bookish” Holmes perfectly mastered the ability to selectively forget information: he did not remember anything that was not necessary for his work, even the fact that the Earth revolves around the Sun: “It seems to me that human brain is like a small empty attic that you can furnish however you want. A fool will drag any junk he can get his hands on there, and there will be no place to put useful, necessary things, or best case scenario You can’t even get to them among all this rubble. And a smart person carefully selects what he places in his brain attic. He will take only the tools that he needs for his work, but there will be a lot of them, and he will arrange everything in an exemplary order. It is in vain that people think that this small room has elastic walls and they can be stretched as much as they want. I assure you, the time will come when, acquiring something new, you will forget something from the past. Therefore, it is terribly important that unnecessary information does not crowd out necessary information.”

Sherlock from the BBC series uses a "memory palace" technique, also called the "loki method", whereby an imaginary space is created in which visual triggers are placed to help recall information. This technique actually exists, and there are plenty of tutorials online on how to master it.

1. Observation. Sherlock Holmes has a knack for noticing details that others don't. Observation skills can be developed through exercise. For example, go into a room with your eyes closed, open them for a couple of seconds, close them again and try to describe what you saw in as much detail as possible. Try to pay attention to small details that you usually ignore (how many steps are there on the stairs in your entrance?), and note everything that stands out from the usual state. Track patterns in the behavior of the people around you: who moves, speaks, and gestures. Try to use all your five senses.

Let me remind you that Sherlock Holmes always warned against drawing conclusions based on incomplete data: before moving to conclusions, you should make sure that all available information has been collected.

1. “The art of drawing conclusions,” that is, the “deductive method” itself, is primarily logic. I recommend starting with good textbook according to the logic, for example, of Bocharov-Markin. There are three types of elementary reasoning: deduction, induction and abduction. Sherlock Holmes actually uses them all. Mainly, he operates with hypothetical reasoning, i.e. creates a list of possible versions of what happened, and then one by one eliminates those that do not agree with the available facts: “Exclude all the impossible, and the truth remains.”

In general, there is a book by Maria Konnikova, “An Outstanding Mind. Thinking Like Sherlock Holmes.”

Sherlock Holmes, the hero of the works of Arthur Conan Doyle, is known to the world as genius detective. However, many people are quite capable of training their own brains to think the same way Holmes thought. How? Just reproducing Holmes' behavior. If you become more observant and learn to better analyze your observations, then problems should not arise. If this is not enough for you, you can practice building your own “mind palaces”.

Steps

Part 1

Learn the difference between viewing and observing. Watson, for example, watched. Holmes - watched. You may have developed a habit of looking without mentally processing the information you receive. Accordingly, the first step towards Holmes's thinking is the ability to observe and understand all the details of what is happening.

Be focused and fully concentrated. You need to know your own limits. Alas, the human brain is not designed to perform several tasks at once. complex tasks. If you want to learn to observe intelligently, then it is unlikely that you will be able to do a dozen more things that will only distract you from observing.

• Focus will allow your mind to stay focused longer and teach it to solve problems more efficiently and effectively.
• Focus is perhaps one of the simplest aspects of observation. All that is required of you is to focus all your attention on the object of observation, without being distracted by anything else.

1. Be selective. If you observe everything that is in your field of vision, your head will spin, and quite quickly. Yes, you need to learn to observe, but at the same time you need to be selective in what exactly you observe.

   • Quality for you in in this case more important than quantity. You need to observe more qualitatively, and not more objects or phenomena.
   • Accordingly, you need to learn to determine what is important and what is not. Practice will make you perfect, and only practice will make you perfect.
   • Having identified what is important, observe and analyze everything, down to the smallest detail.
   • If you cannot glean enough detail from what you are observing, you should slowly expand the area of ​​observation to include what you previously considered unworthy of attention.

2. Be objective. Alas, human nature itself contradicts this - we all have prejudices. To learn to observe, you must overcome yourself and leave all prejudices behind in order to become an objective observer.

   • The brain often sees only what it wants to see, and then completely passes it off as a fact. Alas, this is not a fact, it is just a view of an object or phenomenon. Once our brain remembers a fact, it becomes difficult for it to accept the opposite. You need to learn to focus on your own objectivity so as not to receive false and unreliable data from your observations.
   • Remember that observation and deduction are two different parts of the process. By observing, you are only observing. Later, when the deductive method is activated, you begin to analyze the information collected.

3. Don't limit your observations to one sense. What you see is only part of the world. Your observations should extend to other senses - hearing, smell, taste and touch.

   • Learn to use your sight, hearing and smell. We rely on these three feelings most often, but they are the ones that mislead us most often. Only when you can feel all this objectively, learn to use the senses of touch and taste.

4. Meditate. Fifteen minutes of daily meditation is a practical way to learn to observe. Meditation helps keep your mind sharp and also introduces you to what it means to be “fully focused on the world around you.”

   • Meditation is not necessarily something out of the ordinary. All you need is a few minutes a day without being distracted by anything, learning to focus your attention - maybe by mentally imagining some image, maybe on some image in front of you. The point is to let whatever you are meditating on occupy your full attention.

5. Challenge yourself. What better way to hone your observation skills than a challenge?! Once a day, a week and a month, set yourself a riddle that needs to be solved - but one that will require all your strength and observation skills to solve.

   • Let's say, you can set yourself something like a task to observe something new every day - for example, take one photograph from a different perspective once a day. Photos should show familiar objects from a new perspective.
   • One more useful exercise There will be people watching. Notice the little things - clothes, gait. Over time, you will even be able to notice details such as a person's emotions revealed through their body language.

6. Take notes. Yes, Holmes did not carry a pen and notepad with him, but that was Holmes. You are still just learning, so it will be very difficult without notes. If you take notes, write everything down in detail so you can remember the sights, sounds and smells later.

   • The process of recording observations will help you learn to pay attention to detail. Over time, you will reach a level of development after which you will no longer need the notes. Until then... keep writing!

   Part 2

   Developing deductive thinking

   1. Ask questions. Look at everything with a healthy dose of skepticism and continue to ask questions about what you observe, think and feel. Don’t settle for the most obvious answer, get used to breaking the problem down into its components, solve them separately - that’s how you’ll come to the right solution.

      • Before “putting” something new into memory, analyze it with questions. Ask yourself why this is important, worth remembering, and how it relates to what you already know.
      • To ask the right questions, you need to study, study, and study some more. The ability to read carefully and comprehend what you read, not to mention a solid knowledge base, will help you a lot. Study important topics, experiment with things that interest you, keep notes on how you think. The more you know, the more likely it is that the question asked of you will be correct and important.

   2. Remember the difference between the impossible and the improbable. Human nature itself will push you to consider the improbable as impossible. However, if there is a possibility, it should be taken into account. Only the truly impossible can be ignored.

   3. Your mind must be open. Forget your prejudices when observing a situation, forget your prejudices when analyzing a situation! What you think or feel is one thing. What you know is different, and much more important. Intuition is important, of course, but you need to find a balance between logic and intuition.

      • If you don’t have all the evidence or evidence on hand, don’t rush to draw conclusions. If you make an assumption before you have analyzed all the facts, then your assumption will most likely be incorrect, and this will greatly prevent you from getting to the bottom of the truth.
      • Theories must be fitted to facts, not facts to theories. Gather the facts and discard all theories that contradict the facts received. Do not assume what is real only in theory, but not in facts, especially if you are driven by the desire to distort the facts in favor of a past theory.

   4. Connect with trusted colleagues. Even Holmes, a recognized genius, could not live without Watson when it came to discussing ideas. Find someone whose intelligence you trust and discuss your observations and conclusions with them.

      • It is very important that you allow the other person to come up with theories or conclusions without giving up information that you know to be true.
      • If during the discussion new ideas emerged that changed your theory, so be it - don't let pride get between you and the truth!

   5. Give yourself a break. Your brain is unlikely to withstand working in “Sherlock Holmes” mode for a long time. Even Holmes took breaks! You know, shooting, playing the violin, morphine... Giving your mind a rest will greatly improve your ability to get the right answers and come to the right conclusions, especially in the long run.

      • If you focus too much on the problem, you will become tired and will no longer be able to analyze the information as carefully. The morning, as they say, is wiser than the evening. When you return to the problem with a clear head, you will be able to immediately notice the one right in front of you. important fact, which escaped your attention the day before!

   Part 3

   Build your mind palace

   1. What are the benefits of mind palaces? The fact is that you can organize information in the way that is most convenient for you to remember and use. Holmes had the palaces of reason, but, to tell the truth, this tradition did not begin with him.

      • Strictly speaking, this method is called the “Lozi method”. Loci is a form plural Latin word for “place” (locus - loci). This method was used by the ancient Romans, and before them by the ancient Greeks.
      • The essence of the method is that facts and information are remembered based on the principle of association with some really existing place.

The popularity of Sherlock Holmes, who was born more than a century ago, is experiencing another wave. A new series produced by the BBC has brought the famous detective to life. new level- stories about Sherlock and Dr. Watson now take place in the modern world.

But this is far from the first boom associated with the name of the fictional genius of deduction. From the time the stories about Sherlock Holmes first appeared to this day, people from all over the world have written letters to him, sending them to 221B Baker Street. The house where the doctor and the detective lived is so famous that the International Sherlock Holmes Society purchased it and founded a museum named after the great detective there.

Over the entire history of this character, dozens of films have been made about him, but the Soviet film adaptation, created in 1970-1980, is still considered one of the best. She gave birth to a second wave of love for Holmes. And so, the series "Sherlock" with Benedict Cummerbatch and Martin Freeman, as well as feature films with Robert Downey Jr. leading role once again brought attention to a man whose name is essentially synonymous with logic, deduction, detective and investigation. And at the same time, to his methods, with the help of which Sherlock Holmes came to such accurate conclusions.

Reading books and watching films about Sherlock, at first we do not understand at all what observations his logical chains are based on, how he conducts investigations and solves crimes. And all because Sherlock is extremely mysterious man, who talks about his methods only after the case is solved. After his explanations, everything seems so easy and simple - but why didn’t you and I think of it ourselves? After all, there is no mysticism in the deductive method; it is based solely on facts.

The ability to use the deductive method is extremely useful and will be useful not only to detectives, but also ordinary people. But is it possible to learn to use the Holmes method? Although Sherlock is fictional character and his image is largely exaggerated, but the method works, and it is quite possible to learn it. Moreover, Conan Doyle’s hero was copied from a real person. Joseph Bell, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, had a talent that Sherlock repeatedly flaunted. From various details of his appearance, his clothing and demeanor, he guessed his profession, past and marital status.

Scientific basis

Sherlock Holmes does amazing and exciting things, but they have no scientific basis! This is what a person can say who is confident that the ability to solve crimes is based on some unique abilities hero. And he turns out to be wrong.

When an experienced practicing chemist combines various substances, their reactions can resemble a magic trick - they change color and structure, explode, hiss... In general, a chemical experiment is like a real miracle. But this is for us, ordinary people, who are not aware of the formulas. For a scientist who has devoted years of research, read dozens of books and scientific works, who received more than one burn from reagents, this is not a miracle at all, but the result of long and hard work.

But at the same time, complex long-term scientific developments can look like simple and interesting demonstrations bordering on entertainment.

It's the same with the deductive method - it seems like everything is simple. But in fact, this is just the result of scientific research, long and painstaking research, studying tons of statistical material... In general, boring science in its purest form.

The name of the deductive method comes from the Latin word deductio, that is, inference. This means that in deduction the solution to a problem is accomplished by deducing the particular from the general using logical laws. The catch is that in reality Sherlock did not use the deductive method in his investigations, but the opposite method - the inductive one. It is based on the fact that the general is derived from the particular, full picture emerges when studying the details. But this is exactly what the great detective did - he compared the evidence and all available information, completed the unknown details crime committed and received a ready-made chain of events.

Nevertheless, Mr. Holmes still, albeit nominally, used the deductive method, instructing his followers: “If you reject what is not comparable with the available facts, only one answer remains. And even if it seems impossible, it is correct.”

Sherlock Holmes paid close attention to the clues of his intuition. He argued that sometimes it is easier to understand something than to explain to others how it was done. For example, you will have no doubt that two and two equal four. But explaining why you are so convinced of this will be much more difficult.

Sherlock Holmes owns the following phrase: “The life of any person is a long chain of causes and effects. And it’s enough to know one link to unravel all the rest.” These words are essentially the credo of his methodology. Of course, there was no place for absurd accidents in the book, unlike real life, which is why Sherlock’s methods worked in all scenarios. In reality, everything cannot be so magical. But still development logical thinking , observation and other skills of a brilliant detective can be achieved by anyone. Below we will tell you about these useful acquisitions.

1. Notice and remember little things

It’s not for nothing that Conan Doyle’s stories contain such a character as Inspector Lestrade - he shows readers errors in investigative techniques. One of his main mistakes is the omission of small details. He was so often wrong precisely because he did not take into account all the details, but made his assumption only based on those that fit into his version, discarding the rest.

Sherlock Holmes did exactly the opposite - he collected as much information and evidence as possible, looked at everything possible options and chose the only one, the most likely. After this, the version was still checked, and only then did it become the solution to another mystery.

2. Be able to concentrate

In the moments when Sherlock was thinking about the case, nothing could distract him. He did not communicate with others, did not answer questions and became extremely unsociable. And all because he was completely immersed in the matter, endlessly thinking about the facts and developing versions.

In modern Sherlock, the writers made his aloofness a trait of a sociopath, but in reality Sherlock only became an introvert during the investigations. IN ordinary life he was a sympathetic and good-natured romantic, who was beautifully portrayed by Vasily Livanov in the Soviet film adaptation.

The ability to focus on primary tasks and not get distracted by unnecessary emotions is very important for the development of detective abilities.

3. Gain new knowledge and improve skills

Sherlock Holmes remembered all types of tobacco ash, soils in England, poisons and chemicals, seals and coats of arms, writing paper and a million other things that are not known to ordinary people. The detective scrupulously studied everything that could be useful in his investigations. He was well versed in forensic science, managed to work as a biochemist in a hospital, played the violin, was savvy in the arts, had hand-to-hand combat skills, practiced boxing and fencing, knew Latin... You can’t list it all. And all this was a great help in the work of a detective.

4. Build your own “Memory Palace”

Sherlock Holmes operated easily a huge amount data that was stored in memory. To do this, he used “mind palaces”, where he placed all the information in a certain order. This memorization method does not belong Conan Doyle, he was known back in ancient Greece, long before the Baker Street detective appeared. It was used not only by a British detective, but also by Hannibal Lecter, a serial killer and cannibal.

The method consists in building associations with the help of which the necessary information is consolidated. All facts are located in known to man building in a certain order, each data block has its own place.

It’s difficult to talk about this technique in a nutshell, so it’s better to read separate articles on this topic - “ Cicero's method of memorization»

5. Trust your intuition

It has happened more than once that the right decision It was intuition that helped Sherlock Holmes. At critical moments, when it was necessary to act quickly, the investigative genius chose the path that his sixth sense told him (read - “ How to develop intuition"). Of course, we are not talking about any superpowers, but about experience that leads a professional in the right direction better than any compass.

One can argue about does intuition exist and is it possible to trust premonitions, but Sherlock Holmes did. And, most likely, he did the right thing.

6. Practice constantly

An English detective used to say that his mind was like a train. A heavy train, as you know, is not easy to disperse, so Sherlock did not stop him - he constantly practiced various logical puzzles and kept his mind in good shape. Thanks to this, his “train” always rushed at full speed, easily covering the necessary distances between the links of the logical chain.

As you can see, there are no miracles in Sherlock Holmes' methods. With some effort, any person gifted with an inquisitive mind and patience can get closer to his idol - become more attentive, educated, persistent and quick-witted.

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