The Intelligence of Intuition

Challenges perceptions of the fallibility of intuition and recasts intuition as a unique form of intelligence.

Gerd Gigerenzer (Author)

9781009304894, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 12 October 2023

188 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.1 cm, 0.3 kg

'A fascinating analysis of human thought, offering a different picture from the conventional wisdom, from one of our deepest thinkers on rationality and irrationality.' Steven Pinker, Harvard University

People often confuse intuition with a sixth sense or the arbitrary judgments of inept decision makers. In this book, Gerd Gigerenzer analyzes the war on intuition in the social sciences beginning with gendered perceptions of intuition as female, followed by opposition between biased intuition and logical rationality, popularized in two-system theories. Technological paternalism amplifies these views, arguing that human intuition should be replaced by perfect algorithms. In opposition to these beliefs, this book proposes that intuition is a form of unconscious intelligence based on years of experience that evolved to deal with uncertain and dynamic situations where logic and big data algorithms are of little benefit. Gigerenzer introduces the scientific study of intuition and shows that intuition is not irrational caprice but is instead based on smart heuristics. Researchers, students, and general readers with an interest in decision making, heuristics and biases, cognitive psychology, and behavioral public policy will benefit.

1. We know more than we can tell
Part I. The War on Intuition: 2. Female intuition versus male reason: the battle for intelligence
3. The bias bias: mistaking intuition for irrationality
4. Governmental and technological paternalism
Part II: The Intelligence of Intuition: 5. Heuristics: the tools of intuition
6. Embodied heuristics
7. Moral intuition
8. Simple heuristics to run a research group.

Subject Areas: Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR]