Unit 3 Discussion Assignment Sherlock Holmes: Induction, Deduction or Both? Step 1. Sherlock Holmes was a fictional detective created by the British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes was renowned for his reasoning talents, in particular his ability to solve spectacularly heinous crimes. In preparation for this Discussion Forum assignment, review the following materials and take notes on any arguments you detect in both the video and in the short story. Video: Sherlock Holmes' Reasoning -- Induction or Deduction? (ignore the Greek subtitles), Duration: (4:25), YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bCS4icTrHO Short Story: The Adventure of the Speckled Band (see the link to the story in Learning Unit 3) Note: "The Adventure of the Speckled Band' is one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by Doyle. It is the eighth of the twelve stories collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story was first published in Strand Magazine in February 1892, with illustrations by Sidney Paget. It was also published under a different title, 'The Spotted Band," in New York World in August 1905. Doyle later revealed that he thought this was his best Holmes story." (Quoted from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_the_Speckled_Band) Step 2. Given what you've learned in Learning Unit 3 about induction and deduction, consider the arguments Holmes presents in both the video and in the short story. Try to determine if his inferences are inductive or deductive. (Hint: it depends on how you choose to reconstruct his reasoning.) Post your answer to the following prompts on the Discussion Forum, and then follow the instructions in Step 3 to comment on your peers' posts. Are Holmes' arguments convincing? What reasons can you offer for your assessment? Try to find and reconstruct in standard form (P1, P2, etc., /C) a deductive argument in the short story (use a simple deductive form in your reconstruction.) Try to find and reconstruct in standard form (P1, P2, etc., /C)an inductive argument in the video. According to our text and the Unit 3 video lectures, what's the difference between the deduction and induction? Can you think of a discipline, other than criminal forensics, where Holmesian logic could be applied? Do you ever think like Holmes? Give us an everyday example of how you might reason like Sherlock. PHIL110 Critical Thinking - SPS CUNY