Evaluate the Role of Intuition in Different Areas of Knowledge.

Evaluate the Role of Intuition in Different Areas of Knowledge.

  • Submitted By: superzel
  • Date Submitted: 01/18/2009 10:44 PM
  • Category: Philosophy
  • Words: 2080
  • Page: 9
  • Views: 1

Evaluate the role of intuition in different areas of knowledge.

An ancient Greek statue was about to be purchased by a museum. It underwent basic checks to ensure it was genuine, and after fourteen months of investigation, the museum staff concluded its authenticity, and the artifact was bought. However, upon setting his eyes on the statue, art historian Federico Zico instantly felt it was fake. So did two others, albeit compelling scientific data proving otherwise. After further investigation, it was discovered that the statue was forged. The researchers turned out to be wrong, and the historians who relied on their hunches were right. In the first few seconds of mere observation, they were able to understand more about the essence of the statue than the museum staff was able to understand after fourteen months.[1]

Intuition is about that first few seconds. It is the feeling of knowing without knowing how you know, and plays a subtle yet important role in our lives. The realm of intuition is an intrinsic quality because it is within us. It is our subconscious; it the bridge between knowledge that is explicit and that which is silent, filling the void between the unknown and the unknowable.

In Science, the main role of intuition is to provide the first stepping stones and pave a pathway for new ideas to develop, suggesting directions ignited by “feeling” which new research should take. There is no theory that can explain or predict the characteristics of intuition. Nevertheless, many groundbreaking discoveries did rely on intuitive insights that showed the bridge between the universes of intellect and intuition.

Friedrich Kekulé discovered the molecular structure of Benzene from a dream. His diary accounts: “… I was sitting writing at my text book, but the work did not progress... I turned my chair to the fire and dozed. Again the atoms were gamboling before my eyes… My mental eye… could now distinguish larger structures… long rows… all...

Similar Essays