This post was originally published in 2014 · Jacob M Hansen

The ultimate code breaker, puzzle solver, and consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, is a man who could read you like a book.  In a matter of seconds, from the tiniest details of your physical appearance he is able to deduce almost everything about you–your personality, current mood, estimated income, how solid your family relationships are, and what you had for breakfast…yesterday. 

Sherlock Holmes is, of course, a fictional character with fictional abilities.  However, this fiction isn’t as farfetched as you might think. In essence, its only an exaggerated view of how human beings act.  Whether because of human nature or societal nurturing, the fact is that each and every one of us are constantly making split second judgements about the people around us.  

This concept has become apparent to me as I’ve participated in debate, public speaking, and mock trial competitions; events in which performance is analyzed to every minor detail.   I’ve become increasingly aware of just how much people (myself included) immediately judge others based on their appearance: how they act, talk, and look. And while this often subconscious judgment may be lessened away from the podium or lectern, it nevertheless still exists in all of our daily interactions.    

Personally, within the first few seconds of meeting a person my natural response is to make a  judgment about their character and abilities: to assign them a level of “social capital” and respect in my eyes, which they must work to raise or lower.

First impressions really are everything: as proven by science, the many books and tips on how to succeed in a job interview and “dress for success”, and by all social experience, our natural tendency is to judge first, and ask questions later.  

But is this justice?  Is it right and fair to judge others so quickly?  In my experience, society says no. The general societal ideal seems to be set by the phrase “never judge a book by its cover”.  “After all,” we think to ourselves, “who knows, maybe that man looks disheveled and groggy because he was up all night attending to a sick friend, and not because he’s suffering the morning results of having a bit too much to drink.” 

But this attitude reversal is simply another form of judgment derived from outward looks: we are still assigning others an explanation for their actions, even if it’s a nicer one.  What is more, while this change of thinking may open our minds a bit to seek understanding, it doesn’t always fully do away with our first impression of them. Judgment is a truly inevitable part of society.  The only real difference between us and Sherlock Holmes, is that he’s usually right.  

But again, isn’t it what is on the inside that counts?  Is it fair to judge others based on what we see? The answer, is both yes and no.  Yes, it is only healthy and fair to make judgements based on what we can observe.  But no, as a society the way we’re going about it is wrong. 

First, we must understand that every choice we make affects the world around us, and consequently, our appearance.  While no two people are alike in circumstance, we are all the ultimate sums of the choices we have made in our lives.  Regardless of your reasons for making a choice, the fact that you made that choice, defines you, and consequently your appearance. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say.”  What we do shapes who we are, and who we are can readily be seen by all those around us through our dress, hygiene, body build, facial expressions, speech, attitude, body language, and how we choose to respond in situations and act around others.   So yes, because the quality of a person is manifested in what you can observe, you’re perfectly justified in judging them based on those facts.

Yet here a problem arises.  A problem that can be resolved by taking a closer look at the nature of Sherlock Holmes.   The problem is thus: the judgements we as members of society make are often wrong, misplaced, and damaging to others.  So are a group of insecure teenagers morally justified in excluding, shuning and demeaning a socially awkward classmate because of their judgement of him or her?   Is society justified in measuring the total level of intelligence in a person based on how they scored on a specific test? Are you justified in outlining the ultimate character of another person based solely on the religion they belong to?  To all of these, no!

While there are arguments to support all of these judgements, they have two crucial things in common that make them unfair and usually completely false: 

  1. They are derived from a very limited set of misinterpreted facts, and 
  2. They are based in emotion. 

For example, society as a whole may feel more secure if everyone was defined by the same test, and so their fear and insecurity coupled with the fact that one test cannot cover the many forms and area’s of intelligence, learning, and potential for growth, leaves their judgement a metaphorical train wreck.   

Sherlock Holmes on the other hand, is rarely wrong.  Why? Because he understands exactly what he sees, and what exactly he can deduce from what he sees.  Sherlock has the unique ability to see things clearly, as they really are, without bias and with an open mind.  He then is able to filter through all of the possible explanations and outcomes, choosing the one that’s most probable, and all the while adapting his theory to any new facts that may come into the picture.  Ultimately, he judges based on where the facts point, not where his emotions gravitate.   

I submit that at its core, judging others is and always should be a purely logical action, not an emotional one.  And furthermore, that its high time we all took a lesson from the ultimate logical genius, and emotionless consulting detective.  

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that we should never listen to our feelings when making decisions.  Intuition and inspiration often supply our conscious mind with the correct solution to a problem, even when we are not yet able to place our finger on the subconscious observations or logical connections that lead to that conclusion.   Because in order to accurately judge others we must make use of all the facts available, we should not exclude those that are presented to us in the form of an instinctual “gut feeling.” 

While I was at a recent dance with some friends, I was introduced to a young man close to my age.  From our brief thirty second conversation, I logically shouldn’t have been able to gather enough information to pass judgement on his personal character.  However I immediately felt a really “bad vibe” which seemed to tell me that he wasn’t a high quality person. A few days later, I learned that I was exactly right. 

While paradoxical at first glance, it is only logical to trust your “gut feelings” in many cases because of the tested accuracy of these feelings in discerning the minor details of the people around us that result from the choices they’ve made.  Gut feelings aren’t always right of course, but neither is purely conscious logic. To make the most out of these feelings, just make sure that they aren’t just disguised emotions.

There is a large difference between feelings and emotions: Feelings are a collaboration of your intuition, inspiration, and subconscious observation manifesting in a push towards a specific course of action.  Emotions on the other hand, which also push us to do things, do so along roller coaster paths for what are often fickle and irrational reasons, greatly derived from our reactions to outward circumstances. Because traffic was bad, we learn that a family member has taken seriously ill, or because someone takes the time to compliment us, we can experience a range of emotions from irritation, to fear, to happiness.  And five minutes later we could easily be feeling a completely different emotion. 

Emotions are what make living worthwhile, and certainly have their places in life.  But judging other people, is not one of them. When emotions are used to interpret fact, people are hurt and decisions are made that are often regretted later.  So again, judging others should never be an emotional action. 

A simple application of the Golden Rule should make this quite clear: if you were on trial, would you feel it fair if the judge ruled against you simply because he was feeling irritated that day, and not because there was any real evidence to convict you?  If not, then you certainly should not condemn others based on your own choices and circumstances. The heart is where we should learn to love and care for all we meet, but it is the head that should determine their faults. We can judge others only as accurately as we can be logical. 

But this begs the question: how logical can we really be?  As human beings, none of us see the world in exactly the same way.  Our perceptions of others are defined by our history, circumstances, and choices.  So because of this, how can we ever be as logical and unbiased as we need to be to judge others? 

Well the fact is, none of us will ever be perfect in this respect.  And we should have an understanding of our personal imperfections as a margin of error when we seek to judge others, because there are some judgments–such as those that require us to speculate on facts or interpret the intentions of others through our life histories–that logically, the odds of our deciding correctly, simply make the process too risky.   . 

But regardless of our accuracy, making judgments about other people based on what we observe is a natural, unavoidable, and also a very important part of life.  One that without which, our world would disintegrate. There are some judgements that we, as imperfect as we are, must make on an everyday basis in order to live a safe, happy and successful life. 

For example, it is a well-known fact that those who you spend the most time around will greatly mold your life.  Without judging others, how would you decide who to spend your time with? Similarly, as an employer, how would you decide who is the best candidate to hire into a job?   And in an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous place, without judging those around you, how would you tell apart those who may hurt or help you? 

Outside from these necessary judgments however, there is much we need not, and cannot judge.   Ultimately, because none of us are so observant and logical as Sherlock Holmes, (and even he gets things wrong occasionally), it is best to avoid judging others as often as we prudently can, simply because we must logically understand that in some respects, we cannot judge others accurately.   We simply lack the facts and the understanding to do so. 

In conclusion, please consider the following: 

  • Who you are (and consequently your every-day appearance) is defined by the choices you make, and the same is true of every other person on the planet.
  • Our natural tendency is to constantly make judgements about others.  
  • While some of these judgements are necessary, many are not.
  • Correctly judging others is, and always should be a purely logical action.  This does not exclude our level headed “gut feelings”, but rather our fickle and irrational emotions. 
  • Because none of us are perfect, it is only logical that we realize that we will rarely be 100% correct in our judgements of others, and therefore should avoid judging others when unnecessary. 

The key is to see the facts, see where they lead, and understand what you can and cannot deduce from them.   If you can learn to do this, then you will have mastered the art of human judgment.