Art of Deduction, the Requirement of the Scientific Method, and the Possibilities of Abductive and Holmesian Reasoning.

     Deduction.  In the realm of logic, deductive reasoning links premises with conclusions. In detective work, evidence links people with crimes.
     There is a saying: "If it bleeds, it leads."  In reality, this is often the case. Still, it would be good to question your own judgement.
     Deductive logic is only as good as your premises. For example, if your premise is all people who know that Sassafras Muppet jig is as password are members of the Order of banjos, then if Joebob knows this, he is a member of the Order of banjos.  That premise could be wrong, but if it is evident that Joebob knows, it would be generally considered that he is of the order of banjos, even if he somehow found out the password without being a member. Still, the argument would be valid till disproven by evidence.
    Many premises can not be inverted. For example, while it is correct to say "every man is a being", it is not correct to say "every being is a man." Also, many premises aren't entirely true and therefore false. Thus, it would be wise to question a premise.
   Yes, I will be talking on other subjects such as forensics, cryptography, martial arts, and psychology, but wouldn't you agree that finding out what happened is sleuthing?

   The scientific method is observation, hypothesization, prediction, testing, analysis, and replication. The requirement for  using the scientific method is empirical(observable), measurable evidence.  I will be refering back to these steps when I speak of forensics. In profiling, the steps are respectively observation of all known data, analysis, and prediction.

"From a drop of water, a logician could infer the possibility of Niagara Falls or the Atlantic Ocean without having heard of either."  Unfortunately, there are so many possibilities. This is abductive reasoning or observation and hypothesis.
Holmesian deduction is either inferring from principles based on careful observation or else inferring to the best explanation. Quite often the detective used several principles to arrive at a conclusion.


When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
 -Sherlock Holmes

Memory Palace

How is your memory?   What we mostly do with notes and apps and rote memorization(memorization by sheer repetition) to remind ourselves, people in ancient and medieval times mostly did with something called a memory palace. 

Assuming you're more interested in the practical applications of a memory palace(method of loci), I will leave most of the history to google and books. I will however give two demonstrative examples and one interesting fact. Memorizing a book by this method was considered average in ancient times. Today? There are people who utilize this method to memorize a vast chunk of pi, remember several decks within a short period of time, and many more examples. These are average people who have trained their memories from journalists to economists.  Interesting fact: many cultures have come up with it independently (Greeks usually get the credit, but many native civilizations have came up with it)

Memory palace is using a place you know well and placing a vivid mental image there for what you want to remember.  You could mentally place the Statue of Liberty with a blazing red Motorcycle helmet instead of a head to remember that your keys are on the living room coffee table(be sure to be vivid).

 

It's just a simple memory aid.  It doesn't necessarily have to replace your apps, but consider this, most people's memory are only as good as their apps.

Rote memorization(memorization by sheer repetition) isn't always the best way to memorize.  When you memorize hard stuff by rote, it either becomes a use-it-or-lose-it situation, or else a learned skill.  You remember H20 is pure water, but think of all the equations that you have forgotten.  And the equations are not the only thing that has slipped your mind.  

On a slightly offtopic note, what probably happened to your mind during my previous sentence is called the Barnum effect.

Memory palaces are great for ordered lists.  Let's call the places where we put these reminders loci.

 Let's say the first loci is your front door.  Now starting from the front door, let's say your anniversary is coming up.  You could perhaps visualize hobbits gouging themselves on chocolate and flowers.  Or you could not.  It's your mind. 

The next thing is your everyday shopping list.  Let's take your shopping list.  Bananas, plumbing putty, orange juice, a soccer ball, lemon custard, smoked salmon, sunscreen, a Christmas coffee cup, paper towels, toothbrushes, tupperware,  and red earmuffs.  Plumbing putty might sound difficult to put in, but if you need it, you probably need only a faint reminder like Mario.  

Try a memory palace using your home with the above list. Try it in order.  And, oh yes, have fun with it.  Make it ridiculous, absurd, and even far-fetched if you like so much so that you cannot entirely ignore it.  If you use your home, visualize the stuff at each loci as you pass by.  Don't sweat getting a bunch of training in (unless you are a memory athlete in which case, do sweat it).

Keeping a memory palace isn't hard unless you overcomplicate it.  I can give you advice like start small, and check it once as you go to sleep, but a memory palace is nothing more than vivid imagery in a well-known place. That's all.

P.S.  There will be my thoughts on unsolved mysteries and other thoughts as an amateur detective.