Sherlock Holmes uses a variety of different methods when solving the mystery in A Study in Scarlet. The methods include; working backwards, deduction, and false argument by elimination. I will be describing these in this order because I theorize that in the end Holmes is really making educated guesses or assumptions. By addressing these methods in the descending order that follows, I hope to show that anyone could make these assumptions but wind up with a very different outcome depending on how the variables are eliminated.
WORKING BACKWARDS is the method whereby a person starts with an end result or event and works back through a logical set of reasoning to arrive at certain conclusions. This is often used at crime scenes to build a case. Usually the police
FALSE ARGUMENT BY ELIMINATION is the method whereby an explanation of an event that often involves the illicit assumption that one of a brief series of possible explanations must be correct. This is the method Holmes uses the most. He works backwards through a set of plausible explanations that could be correct but are really just one possible scenario. Holmes would need to go through an exhaustive explanation to eliminate all other possible variables. By not eliminating all of the variables, Holmes is merely creating assumptions that are not validated and could easily be false.
DEDUCTION is defined as reaching a conclusion by reasoning. This is probably the strongest method that Sherlock Holmes utilizes when solving the case. Deducing a conclusion is only as strong as the reaso
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