Intuition

We use reason and experience to know and understand facts about the world. Logic is applied to solve abstract and philosophical problems, and we use our senses (i.e. experience) to solve day to day problems or situations that are familiar to us. But intuition falls into neither category.

First off, what is intuition? Intuition is not a means of cognition, but a means by which to navigate situations and to assess their value (or importance) that is beyond experience or reason. It’s our gut-feeling about things–a sixth sense, so to speak.

We might have a bad feeling about a situation–sense that something isn’t right without knowing exactly why. On the other hand, we might have a good feeling about a situation without knowing why either. In games or puzzles, we might make a decision despite not knowing if it leads to a win or a loss. In all these cases, it is our intuition speaking to us.

Essentially, intuition is a means of navigating the gray areas of life when there are no clear cut answers. With all the uncertainty we face in everyday life, we make approximations rather than precise calculations. In many situations, we’re under time pressure, and we have to make split second decisions, relying on our intuition.