Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes

The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes

Arguably the most famous and recognized detective in history, Sherlock Holmes is considered by many to be the first pop icon of the modern age. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective has stood as a unique figure for more than a century with his reliance on logical rigor, his analytic precision, and his disregard of social mores. A true classic, the Sherlock Holmes character continues to entertain twenty-first-century audiences on the page, stage, and screen.

In The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes, a team of leading scholars use the beloved character as a window into the quandaries of existence, from questions of reality to the search for knowledge. The essays explore the sleuth’s role in revealing some of the world’s most fundamental philosophical issues, discussing subjects such as the nature of deception, the lessons enemies can teach us, Holmes’s own potential for criminality, and the detective’s unique but effective style of inductive reasoning. Emphasizing the philosophical debates raised by generations of devoted fans, this intriguing volume will be of interest to philosophers and Holmes enthusiasts alike.

Toon minder

Recensie(s)

Sherlock Holmes is an intellectual hero for many philosophers: his untangling of seemingly intractable problems by sheer force of reason is an inspiration to professional and amateur thinkers alike. Indeed, understanding how reason has such force is one of philosophy’s major goals, as the contributors to this collection ably demonstrate. As one wrangles over the philosophical debates broached in this volume there is much to send one back to those stories with renewed anticipation. –Andrew Aberdein, Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Communication at Florida Institute of Technology — The Philosophy of Sherlock Holmes manages to be both elegantly erudite and consistently entertaining. [The book] would make a fine companion in front of a crackling fire on a rainy night. — E. J. Wagner, author of the Edgar-winning The Science of Sherlock Holmes The contributors offer insightful and interesting thoughts about the philosophy present in Holmes literature. The contributors unravel some of the mysteries which surround life’s big questions as they take the reader on an intellectual adventure with Holmes, Watson, and classic and contemporary philosophers. — Michael W. Austin, coeditor of The Olympics and Philosophy — This is an engaging collection that plumbs the intellectual, philosophical, and cultural mysteries of Conan Doyle’s most beloved character. It is a work that Holmes himself would have admired. — Thomas Fahy, editor of The Philosophy of Horror –

Agatha Christie: Murder….

‘Murder on the Orient Express’ is a reminder of the virtues of pretty good movies – The Washington Post

Prominent among those is Branagh’s turn as Poirot, which anchors the movie’s fundamental sense of decency. Branagh has fun with Poirot’s fussier mannerisms, from his obsession with the size of his morning eggs to the magnificently ridiculous contraption he uses to preserve his mustache while he sleeps. But he also does a delicate job of portraying Poirot as torn between a sense of profound duty born out of his talent and his eccentricities, and the rest he desperately needs.

“I can only see the world as it should be,” Poirot explains early in the movie. “When it is not, the imperfection stands out.” As a director, Branagh wisely resists the urge to retroactively diagnose Poirot with some sort of autism spectrum disorder, though “Murder on the Orient Express” could have made that leap. Instead, the movie depicts Poirot as someone who finds crime and injustice almost physically intolerable. The film’s most important insight is that the most interesting thing to do with that concept is not to make Poirot merely a genius of detection, but to force him to employ his skills in a situation where justice is not neatly achievable in a fashion that both Poirot and the audience would find most comforting. At the end of “Murder on the Orient Express,” the murder is solved in the sense that we know whodunit, but the larger moral dilemmas are resolved in only the most unsettling fashion.

 

Fictional Characters whom you think have Asperger/autism | Page 8 | Asperger’s & Autism Forum

Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie’s fictional detective) – Often seems insensitive, big ego, eye for detail, obsession with symmetry, strong likes and dislikes, odd (old-fashion) dress-sense.

Holmes: connections & empathy

Holmes: Profiling

Method Holmes

How does Holmes do it?

Detective – Consultant

Elementary

A modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with the detective now living in New York City.

Lie to Me: test racism (IAT)

SYLVIA; Over the next ten minutes, you’ll be shown a series of images. Each image will be followed by a series of adjectives. If the adjective describes the image, click yes. If not, click no.

WOMAN: Hey, Sylvia. What are you guys up to?

SYLVIA: We’re testing for racial bias. People with unconscious bias find it easier to associate positive adjectives with Caucasian faces. When we shift to an African-American face– the biased firefighters still associate the adjective with the image. It just takes them longer.

WOMAN: Clock the racist.

SYLVIA: Oh, they’re all racist. Yeah, 80% of people who take this test are biased. We’re just looking for the the guy who takes the longest.

FOSTER: Oh, they’re just about done. All right,can we, uh, pull up the average association time for each of them?

LOKER: It’s taking David Caddick three times as long to say nice things about African-Americans. Looks like we have a winner.

Lie to me: disgust

Lie to Me: signs (hands)