Ways of Knowing: Intuition

Theory of Knowledge 3283Lydia Bullock, Kali Heale, Pallas Loredo

in·tu·i·tion 1.a. The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition. b. Knowledge gained by the use of this faculty; a perceptive insight.2. A sense of something not evident or deducible; an impression.

Intuition

Instinct Judgment Innate Knowledge

No conscious reasoning Intuition in science

Without rational process

Moral Intuition

Why is it a separate way of knowing?

Observation

Without justification

Glorified faith

Combination of other ways of knowing

Heightened sense perception

Active imaginationPure emotion

Beliefs without understanding how they are known

Intuition as a Way of Knowing: TermsTypes of Bias

Confirmation Bias: Ignoring aspects of a situation while validating aspects that confirm your already designated point of view. Inattentional Blindness: “We do not notice what we do not intend to see.” Hindsight Bias: “I knew it all along!”- What is known in the present is what is recalled as having noticed in the past.

Availability Bias: Being overly impressed by anecdotal evidence as opposed to other important details such as statistics.Attribution bias: When we attribute much better causes to our own actions and successes than the actions and successes of others.Sixth Sense: An inexplicable sense of knowing, not based on rational processes.

Sunk cost fallacy: When one is likely to continue an activity or action rather than lose what has already been invested. This mindset enables us to ignore complexities and discouraging us from changing our minds.

The Just-world fallacy: Believing that the world is fair and that people deserve their fortune or misfortune. This leads to a tendency to blame the victims of misfortune for their own victimization and can undermine compassion and remove a sense of Responsibility. This fallacy impairs intuition because it turns our eyes away from examining the complex psychological and social causes of the misfortune.

Halo Effect: Intuition is useful in recognizing patterns and connections but cannot and should not be depended on to do so. The halo effect is the idea that: “someone very good at one thing is very likely to be very good at another.”

Unconscious Knowledge: An intuition that is represented in our understanding of things subconsciously. A large portion of the information that we obtain cannot be expressed verbally; it is “sub-symbolic” in our minds.

Heuristics: A system of trial and error, used to discover the answer to a question or problem. Helps develop an understanding of something.

Counter Claim: a statement that opposes a former declaration.

Procedural memory: Long-term memory which dictates how to perform certain actions.Snap Judgement: An instantaneous judgement formed without deliberation.Pre-conscious processing: Knowledge or skills that are readily available but not consciously acknowledged.

SituationsSue is a trendy mother of two between the ages of 30 and 45. She enjoys spending time with her family, makes healthy choices and donates her spare time working in a local soup kitchen. Which profession out of the list given would she most likely be employed in?A) LawyerB) Stay-home mom (no profession) C) TelemarketerD) Entrepreneur of a small jam-making company

Charlie is an introverted Caucasian male between the ages of the ages of 20 and 35. His hobbies include stamp collecting, long hikes in the woods and solitaire. Which crime out of the list given do you think Charlie would be most likely to commit?

A) Manslaughter B) Driving under the influenceC) Unpaid parking tickets D) Possession of stolen goods

Tell us why.

Strategies for Avoiding Bias and Making Good Decisions

1.) Know all the facts of a situation before coming to

any conclusions.2.) Separate yourself from

the situation.3.) Consult others for

different opinions.4.) Be aware and familiarize yourself with the different

biases.Note: Do not rely solely on intuition; Take into account

other ways of knowing.

Intuition has often been credited with relying heavily on perception. This is primarily because the way that we feel towards something without relying on rational processes depends on how we perceive or see things.

Perception

Emotion: Emotion is connected to intuition in the way that the emotions you feel in a particular situation affect the general impression or sense you receive from a situation.

LanguageThe use of language can affect intuition in a slightly indirect way. The way that something is described with particular diction can affect your impression of something.

RationalismIt is interesting to note that rationalism is not involved in intuition. In fact, in the dictionary definition of the term it declares “sensing without the use of rational process”. They are almost considered opposing ways of knowing.   

2 Truths -1 LieTime to test your intuition skills!

A.) Get into groups of fourB.) Think of 2 outrageous truths about yourself as well as one lie.C.) Each person has their turn to tell the truths and lie. D.) For each person, use your intuition to predict which is the lie and which are the truths.

Apple CEO Tim Cook on

Intuitionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?y=c6X9-br--jM&safety_mode=true&safe=active&persist_safety_mode=1

C.S. Lewis on Intuition:

The Weight of Glory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?y=4g3_pl8vNEw

Discussion Time!At the beginning of the chapter, Lewis says that the decision to fight or walk away actually asks a more general question:“How do we decide what is good or evil?”Do you think Lewis sufficiently answers this question in the chapter?

Lewis gives his rationale for why he is not a pacifist. He says there are some people who are so corrupted that they do not love or want happiness but prefer hatred and misery . He certainly doesn’t claim that violence is agreeable, but for Lewis, one cannot say that war always does more harm than good . Rather, he works through judgment, intuition, history, and authority to qualify what turning the cheek really means for an individual and for a nation . Do you agree with Lewis’s rationale? How does your understanding of the Bible and Christian faith influence your feelings toward war?

Everyday Intuition

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/target-employee-follows-intuition-busts-kidnapper-192000859.html

Animal Instinct

http://www.oprah.com/oprahs-lifeclass/Animal-Intuition-Pet-Intuition-Do-Pets-Have-a-Sixth-Sense

You may have heard stories of interesting animals that seem to know about events before they strike. Take for example, animals that seemingly know when catastrophe will strike. In many cases before tsunamis, animals that live along coasts recede inland. This is because it is believed that they notice signs that we do not immediately see. But, how do they know from vibrations that a storm will strike? Many people believe that this is because of their intuition. This is most likely a feeling or gut-instinct of panic or danger that pushes them to find shelter.