A Scandal in Bohemia Group

Question:


ohnoashleyyy
Student
High School - 12th Grade

In "A Scandal in Bohemia," Sherlock Holmes says to Dr. Watson, "It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data."

Explain why this is an ironic statement.

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Posted by ohnoashleyyy on Monday October 26, 2009 at 5:33 PM and tagged with a scandal in bohemia, literature, sherlock holmes.

Answers:


  1. jk180 Teacher
    College - Senior

    eNotes Editor

    You might see this statement as ironic in a general sense because the scientific method requires at least some theorizing (in the form of a hypothesis) before the data is collected (such as through a controlled experiment).

    The statement might also be seen as ironic in a sense more specific to the Sherlock Holmes stories because, as I recall the stories, the title character is theorizing all the time when he has little to no data at hand. He is often portrayed as the "armchair detective," who solves mysteries by using the power of his mind and often by hardly lifting a finger (or foot) to collect data.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/best-sherlock-holmes-text

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    Posted by jk180 on Monday October 26, 2009 at 7:34 PM