Mind · Reasoning
Eliminate
Sherlock Holmes deduction via falsification
Definition
Mechanism
Systematic Exclusion (Sherlock Holmes): Enumerate all possible answers. For each, find a test that could falsify it. Apply tests in order of cost (cheapest first). Remove falsified options. Continue until one remains or no tests left. Remaining options are candidates. Combines Deduction (ruling out what's impossible) with Falsification (empirical testing of each hypothesis). It uses Prioritize to order falsification tests by cost/efficiency before executing them.
Preconditions
- Option set exhaustive at start.
- Falsification tests available.
- At least one option must survive.
Postconditions
- Remaining options equally valid. Eliminated options have falsifying evidence. Search space reduced.
Invariants
- Monotonic Reduction: Option set size strictly decreases or stays the same across iterations — options are only eliminated, never added back.
- Evidence-Required Exclusion: Each eliminated option must have falsifying evidence; exclusion without evidence is not permitted.
Risks
Failure modes
Premature Exclusion
Eliminating the true cause because of a faulty test, leaving an empty set.
Relationships
Builds on
References
General to specific logic
Proof of falsehood
Infrastructure
A discrete, executable alternative
Ordering tasks by importance and urgency
Nothing in this library builds on this pattern yet.
Reference