Ways of Knowing: INTUITION
We make sense of the world through eight ways of knowing: language, reason, sense perception, memory, faith, intuition, imagination and emotion. On this page, you will find articles, clips, PowerPoints and links to TED talks for each way of knowing.
Possible essay questions:
- To what extent do ways of knowing prevent us from deluding ourselves? Justify your answer with reference to at least one area of knowledge. (Specimen 2015)
- “There are only two ways in which humankind can produce knowledge: through passive observation or through active experiment.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (May 2015)
- “Ways of knowing are a check on our instinctive judgments.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? (May 2015)
- “No knowledge can be produced by a single way of knowing.” Discuss. (November 2015)
- Is explanation a prerequisite for prediction? Explore this question in relation to two areas of knowledge. (November 2015)
- “Ways of knowing operate differently in personal and shared knowledge.” Assess this claim. (November 2016)
Intuition
Intuition is hard to define. According to Helen Fisher, intuition is a form of unconscious reasoning or reasoning from within, whereby we recognise patterns as we accumulate knowledge. This has also been called "chunking" by social scientist Herbert Simon (Huffington Post). In this respect, one might argue that intuition does not constitute a separate way of knowing. Intuition is indeed, to some extent, based on reason as a way of knowing. Intuitive people are also known to be good at reading emotions; it may come as no surprise that intuition was previously covered under 'emotion' as a way of knowing within TOK classes.
Opinions regarding the definition and classification of 'intuition' do diverge, but it remains important to question how and why we possess intuitive knowledge, or 'knowledge from within' and what kind of knowledge intuition can give us. Intuition is sometimes defined as 'immediate cognition', i.e. knowledge which is immediately evident without interference or evidence (TOK guide). But how do we get to to this cognition? As mentioned previously, to some extent, intuition finds its origins in pattern seeking behaviours. This can be very useful, especially when we need to make quick decisions. But sometimes, the patterns we form are wrong and we may need to check our intuitions. This can be illustrated by, for example, situations where we need mathematical calculations to check our (wrong) intuitions regarding the likelihood of the occurrence of scenarios, such as is the case in the Gambler's Fallacy and the Birthday Problem (see below). The natural sciences can also offer a check on our erroneous intuitions regarding the natural world. Studies have shown, for example, that around the world children intuitively feel that the earth is flat, regardless of one's culture, gender and language. So, whilst intuitive knowledge can be very useful, the methodologies of areas of knowledge as well as other ways of knowing may be necessary to keep a check of wrong intuitions.
You have probably already experienced that some people are more intuitive than others, especially when it comes to understanding the emotions of others. Why might this be the case? According to the Huffington Post, these are the 10 things highly intuitive people do differently. Being mindful, perceptive and creative seems to enhance our intuitive capacity. It has been claimed that intuition is dependent on gender, whereas, for example, female ancestors used to rely on intuition to enable the survival of their children (Fisher). One could argue, however, that nurture rather than nature plays a role here. After all, we talk about female 'intuition' and not female' instinct' in this case. Intuition and instinct are not the same thing, but because there are similarities regarding the immediacy of cognition, the concepts are sometimes used interchangeably. So what is the difference? Instinct belongs to the realm of nature, the hard wire, the 'animal' in us. Intuition, on the other hand, refers to a subconscious knowing, which is the result of the processing of a range of experiences and past knowledge. Intuition is, nevertheless, partly driven by our innate instinctive capacities. Survival instinct, for example, being one of them. Our intuitions are shaped by this instinct and it is important to listen to (good) intuitions when you have to make quick decisions which may or may not guarantee your survival. In this respect, it is perhaps not surprising that the US Navy is researching the power of intuition, as can be seen in this article.
In the context of TOK, it may be worth exploring the role of and value attached to intuition within a range of knowledge communities. For example, indigenous knowledge systems seem to place more value on intuition as a source of knowledge than knowledge communities which are heavily influenced by the scientific revolution. The relationship between shared and personal knowledge becomes fascinating once we unravel how our intuitions are shaped by our knowledge communities.
The collective unconscious also plays a role in understanding and defining intuition on a shared and personal level. The TOK guide states that: 'Jung (Psychological Types, 1923) famously referred to intuition as a perception via the unconscious, highlighting the idea that intuition is often seen as beliefs which are known without understanding how they are known.'
In addition to reason (as mentioned before), other ways of knowing, such as one's language, emotions and memory may play an important role in shaping our intuitions. Intuition can also be related to several areas of knowledge. It plays a role in the field of Ethics, for example, as we sometimes intuitively know what is right or wrong. A good processing of patterns of emotion through past experiences helps us to empathise and intuitively understand what is the right thing to do. Intuition also enabled many scientific advances, and led to several "Eureka" moments, especially when intertwined with creative imagination. As seen above, Mathematics can counter wrong intuitions, yet intuitions can also drive mathematicians, as you may have experienced in person when tackling a complex maths problem in class.
Opinions regarding the definition and classification of 'intuition' do diverge, but it remains important to question how and why we possess intuitive knowledge, or 'knowledge from within' and what kind of knowledge intuition can give us. Intuition is sometimes defined as 'immediate cognition', i.e. knowledge which is immediately evident without interference or evidence (TOK guide). But how do we get to to this cognition? As mentioned previously, to some extent, intuition finds its origins in pattern seeking behaviours. This can be very useful, especially when we need to make quick decisions. But sometimes, the patterns we form are wrong and we may need to check our intuitions. This can be illustrated by, for example, situations where we need mathematical calculations to check our (wrong) intuitions regarding the likelihood of the occurrence of scenarios, such as is the case in the Gambler's Fallacy and the Birthday Problem (see below). The natural sciences can also offer a check on our erroneous intuitions regarding the natural world. Studies have shown, for example, that around the world children intuitively feel that the earth is flat, regardless of one's culture, gender and language. So, whilst intuitive knowledge can be very useful, the methodologies of areas of knowledge as well as other ways of knowing may be necessary to keep a check of wrong intuitions.
You have probably already experienced that some people are more intuitive than others, especially when it comes to understanding the emotions of others. Why might this be the case? According to the Huffington Post, these are the 10 things highly intuitive people do differently. Being mindful, perceptive and creative seems to enhance our intuitive capacity. It has been claimed that intuition is dependent on gender, whereas, for example, female ancestors used to rely on intuition to enable the survival of their children (Fisher). One could argue, however, that nurture rather than nature plays a role here. After all, we talk about female 'intuition' and not female' instinct' in this case. Intuition and instinct are not the same thing, but because there are similarities regarding the immediacy of cognition, the concepts are sometimes used interchangeably. So what is the difference? Instinct belongs to the realm of nature, the hard wire, the 'animal' in us. Intuition, on the other hand, refers to a subconscious knowing, which is the result of the processing of a range of experiences and past knowledge. Intuition is, nevertheless, partly driven by our innate instinctive capacities. Survival instinct, for example, being one of them. Our intuitions are shaped by this instinct and it is important to listen to (good) intuitions when you have to make quick decisions which may or may not guarantee your survival. In this respect, it is perhaps not surprising that the US Navy is researching the power of intuition, as can be seen in this article.
In the context of TOK, it may be worth exploring the role of and value attached to intuition within a range of knowledge communities. For example, indigenous knowledge systems seem to place more value on intuition as a source of knowledge than knowledge communities which are heavily influenced by the scientific revolution. The relationship between shared and personal knowledge becomes fascinating once we unravel how our intuitions are shaped by our knowledge communities.
The collective unconscious also plays a role in understanding and defining intuition on a shared and personal level. The TOK guide states that: 'Jung (Psychological Types, 1923) famously referred to intuition as a perception via the unconscious, highlighting the idea that intuition is often seen as beliefs which are known without understanding how they are known.'
In addition to reason (as mentioned before), other ways of knowing, such as one's language, emotions and memory may play an important role in shaping our intuitions. Intuition can also be related to several areas of knowledge. It plays a role in the field of Ethics, for example, as we sometimes intuitively know what is right or wrong. A good processing of patterns of emotion through past experiences helps us to empathise and intuitively understand what is the right thing to do. Intuition also enabled many scientific advances, and led to several "Eureka" moments, especially when intertwined with creative imagination. As seen above, Mathematics can counter wrong intuitions, yet intuitions can also drive mathematicians, as you may have experienced in person when tackling a complex maths problem in class.
Mathematics and intuition.
Mathematical calculations can offer a check on wrong intuitions. An example is the famous 'Birthday Problem' (Richard von Mises), where our intuitions about the probability of people sharing the same birthday do not seem to be in line with the actual exponential increase of this probability when more people are present (in a room). The low probabilities of the occurrence of shared birthdays when there are only a couple of people in the experiment seem logical to us. However, only 23 people are needed to have a 50 per cent chance of having someone in the room with a shared birthday. It seems that our intuition (and even reason) finds it hard to deal with this exponential increase of probabilities (Arp, p.704). Mathematical pattern seeking can sometimes improve our mathematical intuitions, but sometimes lead to wrong intuitions, as the birthday problem illustrates. Another example of a wrong mathematical intuition based on bad reasoning is the Gambler's Fallacy (Pierre-Simon Laplace), where gamblers falsely assume that probability is affected by past events. Again, mathematical calculations can keep a check on these false mathematical intuitions, which in this instance originates from informal reasoning. Nevertheless, you could also wonder whether intuitions can keep a check on wrong mathematical calculations. Maybe you can think of some examples?
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Language and intuition
Language shapes the way you think. The words you chose, for example, will shape your emotional and intuitive judgements. In addition, the actual language you speak will also influence your cognition. Cognitive scientists have discovered that speakers of a language may, for example, have different intuitions regarding characteristics of nouns, based on their use of gender in the language. The article and powerpoint below could provide a basis for thinking how language can shape one's intuition. Discoveries made by linguists regarding intuitions in indigenous knowledge communities also highlight the interplay between language and intuition. The "grammar of happiness" video, may give rise to some interesting knowledge questions regarding language, universal grammar (Chomsky) and knowledge.
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Indigenous knowledge systems and intuition
One could argue that the creation and transfer of knowledge in indigenous cultures is more intuitive in nature. A holistic approach to knowledge, which originates in nature and the oral transfer between generations, is reminiscent of the holistic nature of intuition. The intuitive judgements of indigenous peoples regarding the medicinal properties of plants such as Ayahuasca (Cofan tribe in the Amazon), for example, or the relation between the ripples of waves in the sea and the existence of an island miles away (traditional Polynesian navigators), is quite impressive. Even though knowledge in this instance is not a matter of scientific laboratory experiments or second hand knowledge passed on through geography textbooks, it is therefore not less accurate. Immediate cognition based on intuition is invaluable for survival in the natural world. The sheer feat of what some indigenous peoples achieve and know through their intuition is highlighted by Wade Davis's TED talk below.
Sense perception and intuition:
Intuitive people are more observant and 'mindful', in a way. There is undoubtedly a link between sharp sense perception and intuition, as illustrated by this article of the Huffinton Post. So, what if we could let our senses work together? Would that make us more intuitive?
Daniel Tammet explains the importance of intuition for 'savants'. He experiences emotional & synesthetic responses to numbers and words. Would this blending of the senses lead to an enhanced intuition"?
Gender and intuition
Is the notion of female (or perhaps feminine?) intuition a myth or reality? This article by Psychology Today aims to offer an answer to the question whether women have a 'special intuitive ability'. In short, it argues that women are better at 'reading' (interpreting) emotions through facial expressions. However, one could argue that men are better at some (other) intuitions than women. Neuroscience would claim that these differences originate from the different wiring of men's and women's brains, as explored by this article from The Guardian. This would suggest that intuition is rooted in nature (and therefore perhaps closer to 'instinct'?). Despite the availability of this research, you may still question to what extent nature rather than nurture shapes intuition. This is an interesting knowledge question to explore further, as the 'nature versus nurture' debate is "very TOK".