THE HEART OF DEDUCTION
A Study in the Elements of a Timeless Partnership
In which a pseudo-scientific method is employed in investigating the curious and complex relationship of the best and wisest men we have ever known. Only instead of allowing logic to fully dictate the study, we have permitted another procedure to surface: we let ourselves be guided by methods of the heart.
PART THREE
The Absence
Curiously, it is actually Sherlock Holmes himself who has dubbed James Moriarty as a "consulting criminal," parallel to Holmes' own self-appointed profession of being a "consulting detective." Regardless of whatever else Sherlock thinks of or feels towards Moriarty, it is undeniable that when you strip everything away down to the basics, Sherlock very simply admiresMoriarty. He recognizes in Moriarty a sort of long lost intellectual kin, one who thrives in games and puzzles, who likes the thrill of the chase and living on the edge, who enjoys being challenged and experiences the need to be distracted from boredom. But what leaves Sherlock breathlesswith undisguised and unabashed admiration is the discovery of a mind not unlike his own, a brain with mental capacities that areleaguesabove their fellow humankind. On that level, Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty are practically indistinguishable.
There are, however, two crucial points in which Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty differ. And it is these incredibly minute distinctions that impact who they are tremendously.
It is not because Sherlock has a deeper regard for people's lives or because he abides by his own sense of justice, although that of course has some bearing. But even though their "professions" lie on extremely opposite ends of the moral spectrum, Holmes and Moriarty are still very similar in the way they relate to people. Both of them care very little about what other people think or feel as long as they're right, even though the nature of their work has developed in them a reluctant tolerance towards the rest of humankind, if only to learn how to manipulate people into getting what they want. What sets Holmes and Moriarty apart is not their minds, nor their choices (moral or otherwise), but howthey choose to enact the decisions their minds are directing them to do.
To DI Lestrade's eternal consternation, Sherlock Holmes is a man who likes to bevery personally involvedin the cases he is "helping" to solve. He will barge into the crime scene to examine the body himself, look for (and keep) the evidence himself, and chase down and apprehend the criminal himself. And for all of his professed sociopathy, Sherlock Holmes always deems it necessary to personally talk with all the people involved in his cases, whether they may be his clients, his suspects, the witnesses or even the victims themselves. Whereas James Moriarty prefers to be above it all, unwilling to get his hands dirty, refusing to be involved more than is absolutely necessary. He will have people do his work forhim instead of doing it himself. Both want very much to be in control, but where James Moriarty is distantly calculating, Sherlock Holmes is intensely passionate. This is their first point of divergence.
Their second point of divergence is that when James Moriarty strikes, it is instantaneous. His being distant and unattached provides him with this advantage over Sherlock. Even if we are to put aside his amoral nature, Moriarty doesn't have to stop and think of the consequences of his actions because whatever decision he makes, it will notaffect him—and more importantly, it will not touchhim. Nothing is stopping him from acting almost on impulse and strike as soon as his mind commands him to. It is this irony that Sherlock shares, albeit conversely. Despite being constantly accused of being rash and reckless, Sherlock actually stopswhen faced with a decision. We see him weighing his options carefully, measuring possible consequences against each other and choosing one that is least likely to place his fellowmen in the line of fire. On a purely objective viewpoint, this is a fatal weakness on Sherlock's part, for he cannot immediately act as he wishes precisely because he has ingrained himself deeply into the situation. On a subjective level, it is also a trait of foolish bravery that Moriarty does not possess. While Moriarty chooses to remain in the shadows to protect himself, Sherlock Holmes is all too ready sacrifice his own well-being to find the answers he seeks.
Theseare what separates the consulting detective apart from the consulting criminal. Both of these brilliant men are in themselves equal powers of banked fire—but where Sherlock Holmes is a blazing flame of lingering fervor, James Moriarty is cold-blooded fire: an instantaneous strike of blinding lightning. James Moriarty burns and sears through the skin much in the same way Sherlock Holmes does, but curiously, without the scorching heat. Moriarty's fire is pure power and energy with the absence of warmth, a relentless drive with the absence of passion and emotion.
It is notable to point out, however, that there is a third point of divergence between these two brilliant minds, one that is mentioned separately for its singular significance. Because this divergence is not a difference betweenthem, but rather a difference in what one hasand what the other person lacks. Sherlock Holmes once pointed out that the frailty of a genius is that he needs an audience, the appreciation and applause that comforts him, reassureshim, that it is not sowrongto be so different. This, indeed, is perhaps the sole reason why Moriarty, after hiding for so long, has risked stepping into the spotlight to lure Sherlock into playing games with him. Because Moriarty must have believed—and justifiably so—that Sherlock Holmes is the only one who can understand and trulyappreciate his brilliant mind. It is all he needs to complete his singular existence. And once upon a time, Sherlock Holmes must have believed the same.
Both of them have that appreciative audience in each other. But unlike James Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes has something else. It is another type of audience, so to speak, but something far more and infinitely far better.
He has Dr. John Watson.
