Data

This post hereby discusses about the importance of data and knowledge in our actions and decision making.

I remember reading Holmes crying about impatiently once, he uttered the quote;

“Data!data!data!” he cried impatiently. “I can’t make bricks without clay.”

― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of  the Copper Beeches

A famous line from Sherlock Holmes, and perhaps one of my favorite quotes. The latter shows the importance of data points. The great detective was very well known for seeing data points that are almost invisible to other people.  A hint of a smell of cinnamon, a minute amount of mud stuck under a shoe or even a thin strand of cat hair that seems invisible to the naked eye were all so easy for him to observe. It can be noticed that through those observations, the detail and data he yields from merely observing allows him to be on one step ahead in solving a crime. And that perhaps is the most interesting quality of Sherlock Holmes.

The same methods can be applied in our daily activities. How many regretful moments have you encountered just so you’ve reach a false conclusion? Acquiring more data about something deprives room for unwanted mistakes. As Sherlock Holmes quotes:

“Never theorize before you have data.Invariably you end up twisting facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts.”

-Sherlock Holmes

Never jump to conclusions before you have any data. Make sure that you have prior knowledge about a certain topic before adding comments and judgments about it.