The Science of Deduction

Since I've already posted about fandoms in general, magic, and time travel, I figured it was time to get to the Sherlock side of things. So here is a post for you about deduction.

Simply put, deduction is the process of making observations and then drawing conclusions from those observations. Sherlock Holmes was a master at this, and he was known for reading a person's entire identity with a single glance. (For examples of Sherlock's deductions, read the books or watch the TV show. I have also written a few fanfics that feature notable use of deductions, for example "An Interesting Case"

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10254673/1/An-Interesting-Case (Sherlock deduces the Doctor) and "The Search For Father" 

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10257307/1/The-Search-For-Father (Sherlock pretends to be a teacher, and teaches a class called "The Science Of Deduction).

But you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to do deductions. That's what this post is all about. There are a few things you can do to be more like Sherlcok Holmes in this respect.

Observe Everything

Observation is the key to deduction. To draw conclusions, you must first have information to create hypotheses from. Practice by playing observation games (online, board games, etc.) and by observation in real life. Make a practice to, uppon visiting a new location, observe everything you can about it. Don't take anything for granted. Work at seeing the little details others miss. If you work at becoming observant, it will serve you well.

Challenge Your Brain

Many people are frustrated with their apparent inability to remember details, think quickly, learn, make connections, etc. Part of the problem here is that we are simply not challenging our brains. Starting in the teenage years, the human brain begins pruning unnecessary connections to make room for the more important ones. Your brain is very much "use it or lose it". Thus, it is essential to challenge your brain. You can do this by try new things, such as learning a language (already have a second language? Add a third). You can also do brain teasers and riddles regularly to make yourself think harder. (If you are on Google plus, I highly recommend the community "Sherlock's Methods" for this purpose.) The more you challenge yourself to commit to higher learning, the easier it becomes.

Play Deductions!

And finally, if you want to be good at deductions, do them. Practice makes perfect. Keep trying to look for new things, places, and people to deduce. Try to make deductions in your daily life. Ask people if you are right. Look at pictures or read things and try to make deductions from those (again, the community I mentioned earlier is great for this). And don't give up. Remember, we are all learning.