Sherlock Holmes, Fairies, and the Devil Baby of Hull House

 

1. The main error Doyle made when investigating the Cottingham Fairies is that he wanted the fairies to be real going into the investigation. So intrigued by fairies, he overlooked the blatant signs that the girls were lying and believed them. In reality, the girls made up the fact as one was an aspiring artist, and the fairies were merely her work. The ultimate downfall of Doyle was the people he trusted. He trusted the girls. He trusted the man he sent to observe the girls. In reality, both of these sources wanted the fairies to be real, or at least to look real, and Doyle believed them. Whether he was gullible, too trustworthy, or just wanted the fairies to be true, Doyle fell for the trap and was made a fool for it. The worst part is that the girls didn't confess to their lie until long after Doyle's death, so he never knew that he had been lied to. 
2. I feel like most of the women who went to Hull House were coping with some sort of problem in their lives. Whether that was feeling powerless in their own homes, forgotten by others, coping with the death of a loved one, or feeling lost in life, they wanted to believe. They wanted to create power through stories, they wanted the devil baby to be true. They want the supernatural to be true to give themselves more power. If they have stories to tell, people will listen. It would also help them gain power over their husbands. In both the Italian and Jewish versions of the stories, the devil baby was born because the husbands were acting out of line and wished for the devil in their lives. In the eyes of the women, this story would help keep their husbands in line. An example of this would be the money envelopes, where women would be the ones to open the man's paycheck. If the man had a problem, they would attribute it to him opening the envelope. In both stories, the main connection is that people want to believe so they can explain events in their lives. They use stories as coping mechanisms as they help them relate to other people, along with distracting themselves with the supernatural to hide their problems. In Doyle's case, he lost loved ones all around him, and the fairies might have been him trying to cope with their death. In the stories of the women at Hull House, they've all been through hardship in their lives, and they can help combat this hardship with belief in stories and the supernatural. 
3. I think that Doyle is correct when he mentions that people see things invisible to others. Sure, it might not be what they see, but everybody experiences life differently. People picture what they want to see. They envision what they want to be true. Sometimes it's what they hear, in stories or everyday conversation. Sometimes it's what they feel. People live life differently which causes them to see life differently. Someone who went through many hardships in life may be more dull. People who sought out adventure might see life more extravagantly. Our past experiences reflect how we see the world, which is well beyond how science perceives it. I think there is no way to perceive what others are seeing because we all see life differently. Science tells us that the world is the same for everyone, but it isn't. It's heavily influenced by upbringing, religion, and past experiences. Stories help influence how people see the world too, as they could make life seem more interesting if it had been dull before. In the end, we influence how we see the world, and it's well beyond science. 
4. Throughout modern culture, many modern characters and shows, especially in the superhero type possess the power of telepathy. They can understand what others are thinking and communicate without speaking. As telepathy has become increasingly popular in the media, more and more people believe that they possess the trait in real life. In most cases, it ends up being someone who is just good at reading people, and they're able to guess what you are thinking through who you are as a person. Along with this, if you know a person for longer, you'll begin to understand what they are thinking on a more common basis, which makes people think that telepathy is in play. In both these cases, it's a more educated guess than telepathy. However, there have been some cases of telepathy out there, mostly in the world of twins. Identical twins are a rare phenomenon, resulting in around 0.5% of births. However, identical twins are believed to be born with an even deeper connection, resulting in what is known as twin telepathy. Now, you may be wondering how this is different from the example I have earlier about people who spend a lot of time around each other. Twins generally spend all of their time together, so they know each other extremely well. However, twin telepathy has been examined in kids as young as 2 years old, who would grab the same Lego piece at the same time when separated and asked to hold up a Lego. This led researchers such as Segal to conclude that, "Identical twins, who share 100 percent of their genes, are typically very close companions and their similar genes predispose them to make similar choices in most areas." Although they spend most of their time together, it's also partially neurological. They have the same gene makeup, which causes them to make similar decisions when in similar circumstances. Twin telepathy is more of a modern discovery, but it's believed that the closeness shared between siblings causes them to understand one another, and even results in telepathy. In my experience, I'm a little shaky on the truth. Although it would be interesting for telepathy to be real, it's hard to believe when there is more research that says it isn't true. Scientists like to classify it as a coincidence, and that similar life experiences cause them to do similar things. Twins live their lives together and are raised the same way, so of course they're going to act and think similarly. Telepathy could be real, but it's hard to pin it on the supernatural when it can be explained by reality.                             Source For the Quote: https://www.newsweek.com/tiktok-twins-address-myth-surrounding-telepathy-1780351