Enthusiasm for the fictional British detective is hardly new. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes in an 1893 issue of Strand magazine, 20,000 readers canceled their subscriptions. Doyle succumbed and revived the character in dozens more stories before his own death in 1930. While the appeal of Sherlock Holmes coincided with the rise of popular science in the late Victorian era, today’s Sherlock-mania may be connected to a more 21st century concept: mindfulness.
It is Holmes’ ability to observe and reflect that make him an extraordinary character, and maybe even model. Psychologist and science columnist Maria Konnikova considers the detective as guide to upgrading the mind in her new book, “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes.”
Produced by Bill Barry
