Okuzeka
Philosophy vocabulary · Core Concepts

Intuition

Meaning in philosophy, with examples

/ˌɪntjuˈɪʃən/nounCommon term

In philosophy, intuition means: A judgment that seems true to us immediately, without our being able to give a full argument for it; in philosophy it is often used as evidence.

In Turkish: sezgi, görü

How it is used

Philosophers test theories against intuitions about cases, and a theory can be counterintuitive. Experimental philosophers study whether intuitions vary across cultures. Kant's term Anschauung is also translated as intuition, but in a different sense.

Example sentences

  1. Most people share the intuition that the man in the Gettier case doesn't really know.

  2. Utilitarianism has some deeply counterintuitive consequences.

Common collocations

  • moral intuition
  • strong intuition
  • counterintuitive
  • appeal to intuitions
  • intuition pump
  • thought experimentAn imagined scenario used to test a theory or to bring out our intuitions, without carrying out any real experiment.
  • counterexampleA particular case showing that a general claim or definition is false, or an example with true premises and a false conclusion showing that an argument form is invalid.
  • a prioriDescribes knowledge or justification that does not depend on experience, such as knowing that all bachelors are unmarried or that 7 + 5 = 12.
  • reasonThe human ability to think logically, draw conclusions and judge what is true or right; also a consideration that counts in favor of a belief or an action.

More terms: Core Concepts

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: