Sherlock's Paradox

Sherlock's Paradox is a paradox discovered by the iconographic detective Sherlock Holmes in a scene from a set of unpublished notes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The notes were put of for auction in 1988 by Conan Doyle's grandson to benefit NORML.

In the unpublished scene, Holmes and his trusted companion Dr. Watson are sharing a pipe while in Arabia. The bulk of the conversation revolves around the pipe being made of glass and employing "... a devilishly clever construction by which the pungent smoke is filtered through water ...". Hence the term sherlock for the type of water pipe which resembles the regular pipe of Sherlock Holmes.

The paradox originates in a comment where Holmes remarks that the pipe's bowl is always better packed, but the "... most pleasurable of all leisure lies in the exquisite emptying of the bowl." Watson remarks that logically his statement implies that the bowl is always better packed, yet must always be in the process of being smoked. Therefore, if one is to truly enjoy themselves they must remain smoking the "bowl" indefinitely.