The world could learn a lot from Sherlock Holmes.

JonChristopher Collins – AUGUST 9, 2026

Solving mysteries fascinates many, but Sherlock Holmes’ greatest skill isn’t solving cases. It’s his ability to observe rather than simply see and to critique and challenge his own conclusions.

Don’t judge a book by its cover is a lesson just about anyone has learned at some point. At the same time, many seem all too ready to reach conclusions without all of the facts.

This article won’t spend significant time on the character’s history other than to note that he was created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. The detective first appeared in “A Study in Scarlet” in 1887. Since then, his adventures have unfolded in literature and film.

People are taught from childhood to pay attention. Holmes does more than pay attention, though.

There’s a difference between seeing and observing. In “A Scandal in Bohemia,” Holmes himself says, “You see, but you don’t observe.” It’s one thing to passively see something and another to observe it.

It’s like the contrast between hearing and listening. Listening is a skill. Hearing is one of the five senses. In the same way, seeing is one of the five senses, and observing is a skill.

Beyond uncanny observation, Holmes also has honed the ability to understand what’s observed. Observation and comprehension are different things. Comprehension, like observation, is a skill worth enhancing.

It’s an error to form conclusions without all of the necessary observations. It’s equally erroneous to form conclusions without understanding.

As obvious as that may sound, it doesn’t appear so in practice.

Think About It

Why do people so often jump to conclusions about things they’ve never experienced and people they’ve never met?

All of us would do well to learn or seek to understand something or someone before arriving at conclusions. Many news stories point to that.

Some news reports demonstrate a tendency to formulate conclusions without having all of the necessary facts. Getting the scoop or the ability to say “you heard it here first” isn’t inherently wrong; however, it ought not supplant accuracy.

Humans love to have certainty, and that’s fine. However, we ought not grasp at certainty at the expense of clarity. That’s like grasping at fiction for comfort at the expense of facts.

It plays out in different ways. Opinions of others are often formed and held without truly observing and understanding one another. Indeed, first impressions are important, but they are useless if they’re wrong and foolish to maintain if proven wrong.

The same is true regarding anything else. Take social media debates, for example. Opinions form faster than good thinking would allow, so the whole story is ignored or disregarded.

What about making hasty decisions? Of course, that’s a different context. The point remains. Patience goes a long way.

The remedy? Intellectual humility.

Holmes reaches conclusions quickly. Here’s a key difference between the fictional character and a lot of people in real life: He revises his hypotheses and conclusions when the evidence exposes them as false.

Too often, people who don’t do that wish to be comfortable and win an argument more than they care about accuracy. It’s most unfortunate.

What I’m talking about goes beyond shifting one’s own opinions because one has been persuaded. That’s good.

It’s even better to alter one’s own opinions or conclusions due to an abundance of evidence.

Accuracy and truth hold greater authority and greater weight than convenience, comfort or popularity—which often serve as prisons. Sherlock Holmes doesn’t just see, he observes. He understands and concludes; he even concludes quickly. However, when the evidence demands revision of such conclusions, the detective revises his conclusions.

According to Holmes, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.” I agree.

I’ll take it a step further: it is just as much an error to hold to conclusions that are false, no matter how convenient, comfortable or popular they are.