I grew up a huge Sherlock Holmes fan. But as I have gotten older (39 in a couple of months), I much prefer Philip Marlowe and the writing of Raymond Chandler.
Sure, Marlowe is the quintessential hard-boiled private detective, but when you read the books you discover that he is largely an intuitive/emotional detective. He applies logic/reasoning and his knowledge of the world he lives in to his intuition/emotions but he's not all-knowing. Marlowe doesn't have the mystery solved on page 23 when the reader still has 174 pages left to go.
While still a fantasy, I tend to think Marlowe is a more realistic detective than Holmes ever was - or at least, one with whom I can identify more readily.
I think there is always a temptation, a danger, for those of us in STEM careers to hold our own feelings and emotions (not to mention those of others) in contempt, as if they are somehow invalid by definition.
We shouldn't do that! Instead, we should accept the emotional and intuitive aspects of ourselves and try to reason through them, understand where those feelings are coming from and make conscious decisions about how to move forward.
Sorry to preach! I just love fictional detectives and the applicability of the lessons they can teach us to the real world. :)
> I think there is always a temptation, a danger, for those of us in STEM careers to hold our own feelings and emotions (not to mention those of others) in contempt, as if they are somehow invalid by definition.
> Instead, we should accept the emotional and intuitive aspects of ourselves and try to reason through them, understand where those feelings are coming from and make conscious decisions about how to move forward.
I agree completely. I'm distrustful of my emotions (if I feel uncomfortable with someone, is it because of things I know, or things I assume? Both are possible), but it's a fact that I experience them, and that they affect my day to day. Reason isn't what gets me out of bed in the morning. Emotions likely evolved because they were useful for survival. They can be very useful for directing our attention, or they can mislead us. If I feel something, I try to figure out if it's based on things I know instead of things I imagine, and then I try to act.
I love how Marlowe popped up on HN. Very attached and at the same time detached character. I like the noir style desperation in these book. Also like to drop Lew Archer here. 'The Ivory Grin' is so depressing it is sometimes hard to stand. But I like this somehow. Makes my own little world seem very colorful and cheerful. I'm not into the lofty superiority of Holmes and other. Not as a book. As a movie I find it quite entertaining, though.
Sure, Marlowe is the quintessential hard-boiled private detective, but when you read the books you discover that he is largely an intuitive/emotional detective. He applies logic/reasoning and his knowledge of the world he lives in to his intuition/emotions but he's not all-knowing. Marlowe doesn't have the mystery solved on page 23 when the reader still has 174 pages left to go.
While still a fantasy, I tend to think Marlowe is a more realistic detective than Holmes ever was - or at least, one with whom I can identify more readily.
I think there is always a temptation, a danger, for those of us in STEM careers to hold our own feelings and emotions (not to mention those of others) in contempt, as if they are somehow invalid by definition.
We shouldn't do that! Instead, we should accept the emotional and intuitive aspects of ourselves and try to reason through them, understand where those feelings are coming from and make conscious decisions about how to move forward.
Sorry to preach! I just love fictional detectives and the applicability of the lessons they can teach us to the real world. :)