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Popular Culture and Philosophy #61
Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy: The Footprints of a Gigantic Mind
This entertaining collection of essays deserves to exist because Sherlock Holmes sees things others don’t. He sees the world in a different way, and by so doing, allows us to see that same world – and human behavior – in different ways as well. Oh, sure, there have been countless detectives who have followed in his footsteps and who seem to rival his abilities. Just turn on the TV or browse the local bookshop and you’ll find idiosyncratic super sleuths using forensics and reasoning to solve a whole host of crimes and misdeeds.
And yet no one rivals our dear, dear Holmes. Why does Sherlock reign, even more than a century later, as king? Can this mystery be solved? Unable to reach either Holmes or Watson (or Doyle for that matter, though we’ve tried every medium we can think of), we’ve been forced to gather our own team of investigators to practice their powers of observation and perception, to apply their own reasoning and methodologies to the task at hand. The results, I fear, have led us to a number of cases that must be solved first.
Is Holmes simply eccentric or a sociopath? s he human, a dog or something from the holodeck? Is he as dangerous on the page as he is in person? Wait – does he even exist? For that matter, do you? (I fear several investigators have been forced to take a much needed holiday after wrestling with that one.)
What is the source of his faculty of observation and facility for deduction? Systematic training as Watson surmises? Genetic? Or is he just really lucky?
And is this whole logic thing compatible with emotions? Are Holmes and Watson good friends or soul mates? Just what is the nature of friendship? Do they complete each other or just get on each other’s nerves? And why all the secrecy? Disguises? Deceptions?
The plot thickens. What is the essence of consciousness? Is the observable world subject to our intentions? Why does Holmes debunk mysticism when Doyle so readily embraces it? Why is Holmes our favorite drug user?
Our notebooks are filled with clues and, dare I say, answers. Is there more than one way to define the concept, justice? Is hope necessary in the world? Is boredom? Play? Can any thing really be understood? Objectively?
And just what is the last unresolved mystery involving Sherlock Holmes? The game that's afoot isn't just the thing being pursued but the fun to be had as well.
And yet no one rivals our dear, dear Holmes. Why does Sherlock reign, even more than a century later, as king? Can this mystery be solved? Unable to reach either Holmes or Watson (or Doyle for that matter, though we’ve tried every medium we can think of), we’ve been forced to gather our own team of investigators to practice their powers of observation and perception, to apply their own reasoning and methodologies to the task at hand. The results, I fear, have led us to a number of cases that must be solved first.
Is Holmes simply eccentric or a sociopath? s he human, a dog or something from the holodeck? Is he as dangerous on the page as he is in person? Wait – does he even exist? For that matter, do you? (I fear several investigators have been forced to take a much needed holiday after wrestling with that one.)
What is the source of his faculty of observation and facility for deduction? Systematic training as Watson surmises? Genetic? Or is he just really lucky?
And is this whole logic thing compatible with emotions? Are Holmes and Watson good friends or soul mates? Just what is the nature of friendship? Do they complete each other or just get on each other’s nerves? And why all the secrecy? Disguises? Deceptions?
The plot thickens. What is the essence of consciousness? Is the observable world subject to our intentions? Why does Holmes debunk mysticism when Doyle so readily embraces it? Why is Holmes our favorite drug user?
Our notebooks are filled with clues and, dare I say, answers. Is there more than one way to define the concept, justice? Is hope necessary in the world? Is boredom? Play? Can any thing really be understood? Objectively?
And just what is the last unresolved mystery involving Sherlock Holmes? The game that's afoot isn't just the thing being pursued but the fun to be had as well.
384 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2011
11 people are currently reading
717 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 22, 2012
Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy is a fun read for any Holmes fan. The book is part of the Popular Culture and Philosophy series and contains 33 short chapters broken up into 7 categories. The "amateur detectives" authors deal with all sorts of topics about Sherlock Holmes including: discussions of philosophers and theories, summations of cases, several folks pick their favourite Holmes actor and give reasons why, there are chapters on the development of the detective genre, Moriarty, virtual reality, and how Holmes adjusted to married life to name a few. The book deals with all sorts of Holmes issues: the official Doyle canon, the non-canonical Doyle stories, pastiches, television, theater, and film (including Star Trek and Japanese) manifestations, and modern fiction.
June 7, 2018
I think my problem with this book is that I'm not the right audience for it. I struggled with this; I mean, I wrote my master's thesis on Sherlock Holmes! Questioning whether Mycroft or Sherlock is the smarter Holmes, wondering how Holmes would adapt to marriage, and trying to determine once and for all if Holmes and Watson have a mutually respectful friendship is, to me, kinda "undergrad-ish." I find it kinda cheesy that legit scholars (including some of the ones contributing to this book!) pretend that Holmes was a real person, and that Watson was his editor--using Conan Doyle's name as a nom de plume. I'm more interested in how the Holmes phenomenon (from its original stories to the recent movie and TV adaptations) have shaped/been shaped by pop culture. I'd like to read more about Holmes' methodology in the context of detective fiction as a genre. How did Holmes as a character influence the "unsympathetic hero" trope? There are flashes of this here, like Round's juxtaposition of Holmes and TV's Dr. House, and ideas of masculinity in her "Out of House and Holmes," but not enough to sustain my attention.
May 27, 2019
Another in the Open Court Pop Culture and Philosophy books. This one tackling the great detective Sherlock Holmes. As usual it consists of an anthology of essays, vaguely organized into themes.
The offerings are perhaps inevitably focused on issues of good reasoning, inferring truth from evidence, solving mysteries and the like. In this though there is a diversity of models of good reasoning and a diversity of opinions about where Holmes genius could lie, philosophical models of good reasoning and Holmes genius come variously from Spinoza, Heidegger, Pierce, Hume and Mill according to different authors. Other issues in ethics, is Holmes right to exercise his discretion in enforcing the law and other topics such as the role of scientific reasoning in order our lives are also discussed some based on more analytical arguments, some more intuitive and some more emotional. Most essays are about the canonical Holmes stories, but others focus on later adaptations and references to Holmes from Star Trek to House. A few of the essays seem to be more exercises in compiling literary facts of things like the Holmes cannon or some adaption of the detective rather than a philosophical investigation of such issues.
The citation system (or rather the lack of it) leaves something to be desired if you are trying to follow up on exactly what these authors are taking from others.
All and all a fun exploration of Holmes and use of the material to make a few arguments, but not a rigorous or comprehensive exercise.
The offerings are perhaps inevitably focused on issues of good reasoning, inferring truth from evidence, solving mysteries and the like. In this though there is a diversity of models of good reasoning and a diversity of opinions about where Holmes genius could lie, philosophical models of good reasoning and Holmes genius come variously from Spinoza, Heidegger, Pierce, Hume and Mill according to different authors. Other issues in ethics, is Holmes right to exercise his discretion in enforcing the law and other topics such as the role of scientific reasoning in order our lives are also discussed some based on more analytical arguments, some more intuitive and some more emotional. Most essays are about the canonical Holmes stories, but others focus on later adaptations and references to Holmes from Star Trek to House. A few of the essays seem to be more exercises in compiling literary facts of things like the Holmes cannon or some adaption of the detective rather than a philosophical investigation of such issues.
The citation system (or rather the lack of it) leaves something to be desired if you are trying to follow up on exactly what these authors are taking from others.
All and all a fun exploration of Holmes and use of the material to make a few arguments, but not a rigorous or comprehensive exercise.
September 15, 2014
To see the Genius of this character, to wonder at the impact he made to society and culture, to unveil the influence he had in the modern era and to continuously be relevant and keep up with the times...I think Sherlock Holmes is indeed a genius and this book provides an illumination on the hows and whys based on the imprints of his mind. This book is equally as brilliant as the man it investigates.
August 24, 2016
If you're into Sherlock Holmes and consider yourself his number one fan this might be the book for you. Is the relationship between Watson and Holmes a good one? Why does Sherlock Holmes use cocaine? Is Mycroft smarter than Sherlock and if so, why? These questions and much more are answered!
June 5, 2020
I started this ages ago and was merrily chugging away when about half way through I hit an article that filled me with such rage I chucked the poor thing half way across the room and vowed never to touch it again. Fortunately it got lost before I could think of taking out any more of my anger on it. I found it under my bed a couple of days ago and decided to finish it. I love Sherlock Holmes and I did enjoy this book (bar that one article that sent me in to a rage)
I can’t really remember the details of what ticked me off, just that the author was waxing poetic about her one true pairing of an elderly and retired Holmes with a teenage girl not old enough to marry. Apparently they were destined for each other as she was a carbon copy of his own personality. If only it were that easy to write good chemistry XD I’m sure there was more to it then that but at the time I was too blinded by rage after they insulted my dear Watson, and then of course the years of being separated from this book until I gained a bit of a cooler temperament! I won’t go back and read the article in case I havnt evolved as much as I had hoped.
Welp that was a ramble. I liked it, good book, hope you enjoyed the narrative of my midway meltdown.
I can’t really remember the details of what ticked me off, just that the author was waxing poetic about her one true pairing of an elderly and retired Holmes with a teenage girl not old enough to marry. Apparently they were destined for each other as she was a carbon copy of his own personality. If only it were that easy to write good chemistry XD I’m sure there was more to it then that but at the time I was too blinded by rage after they insulted my dear Watson, and then of course the years of being separated from this book until I gained a bit of a cooler temperament! I won’t go back and read the article in case I havnt evolved as much as I had hoped.
Welp that was a ramble. I liked it, good book, hope you enjoyed the narrative of my midway meltdown.
June 14, 2024
Does Sherlock Holmes use deduction to solve crimes as is claimed in the stories, or induction which more accurately involves thinking processes to determine a possible solution? Several philosophers say it's the latter, claiming A.C. Doyles' possible misuse of the wording. Then there is abduction, a third thinking method, which could be used to create new ideas from available clues, a way to think "outside the box" so to speak. I learned this much and more from this book about a literary character I have enjoyed reading about many times over.
July 21, 2019
Many viewpoints and many Holmesian moments remembered
Philosophy for many, myself included, goes down much more readily when taken with a liberal dose of sweetener - in this instance, fondly remembered moments of adventure with the world’s greatest detective. Facts from Holmes’s cases and sayings illuminate opinions of other great thinkers, from Socrates to Nietzsche.
Philosophy for many, myself included, goes down much more readily when taken with a liberal dose of sweetener - in this instance, fondly remembered moments of adventure with the world’s greatest detective. Facts from Holmes’s cases and sayings illuminate opinions of other great thinkers, from Socrates to Nietzsche.
August 1, 2019
568 - 2019
April 8, 2020
Soon...
April 17, 2017
Full disclosure: My 5 star review may be biased because I have an essay in this collection. However, I rather enjoyed nearly all of the other essays as well.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews