Quintessential Quote #58

"I can discover facts, Watson, but I cannot change them."
-- Sherlock Holmes, "The Problem of Thor Bridge."

Obviously, Sherlock Holmes was not a politician.

In a previous post, I established that Holmes was not the unemotional "mere brain" that he often portrays himself. He has feelings. When it comes to solving crimes, however, he vigorously sifts out facts from emotions, assumptions, and speculations. It is upon the facts that he makes deductions and builds his case.

In our Twitterverse -- in which more than ever "logic is rare," facts are rarer, and most political arguments go no deeper than a bumper stickes -- perhaps it is this counter-cultural obsession with facts that makes Holmes such an appealing figure. 

Well, I don't insist.