One day, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are out on a camping trip. They trudge all day, covering many miles, and finally decide, just as dusk is falling, that it’s time to set up camp for the night.
They put up their tent, start a fire, cook a simple meal, eat, and both being exhausted from the day’s exertions, decide to go to sleep.
At about three in the morning Holmes shakes Watson awake and says, “Watson, look up at the stars in the sky and tell me what you deduce from them.”
Watson is sleepy, but he has learned that there is always a point to even the most random of Holmes’s questions, so he does as he’s told, and gazes up at the stars.
“Well, Holmes,” he says after a moment, “Physically, I can see that the moon is full tonight. Astrologically, I can see that this is the month of Pisces because of the arrangement of the constellations. Scientifically, I can see that although there are countless grains of sand on our planet, there are, in fact, more stars in our universe. Philosophically, I can see that the clear night sky is in fact a reminder for us to live humbly. That’s what I deduce from looking up at the stars, Holmes.”
And Holmes says, “No, Watson, you fool! Someone has stolen the tent!.”
