I had ... come to an entirely erroneous conclusion, which…
“I had ... come to an entirely erroneous conclusion, which shows, my dear Watson, how dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Reasoning from insufficient data leads to false conclusions, as shown by Watson’s error.
In simple terms: Bad data leads to bad conclusions.
Base conclusions on solid evidence.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- science
- law
- journalism
- decision making
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence would you need to avoid this error?
- How can you test assumptions before concluding?
Insufficient data can mislead even experts.