Intuition Pump
A thought experiment designed to provoke a strong, often intuitive, reaction about a philosophical thesis. Intuition pumps are vivid stories that can clarify or mislead, requiring careful examination by 'turning all the knobs' to test their robustness.
THE IDEA
What is an Intuition Pump?
Thought experiments are among the favorite tools of philosophers. Some are rigorous arguments like reductio ad absurdum, but others are less rigorous: little stories designed to provoke a heartfelt, table-thumping intuition—'Yes, of course, it has to be so!'—about whatever thesis is being defended. I have called these intuition pumps.
Intuition pumps have been a dominant force in philosophy for centuries. They are the philosophers' version of Aesop's fables. Examples include Plato's cave, Descartes' evil demon, and Hobbes' state of nature. A good intuition pump is more robust than any one version of it.
Here are two examples of simple intuition pumps: the Whimsical Jailer and the Jewels in the Trashcan.
Whimsical Jailer
Every night he waits until all the prisoners are sound asleep and then he goes around unlocking all the doors, leaving them open for hours on end. Question: Are the prisoners free? Do they have an opportunity to leave? Not really. Why not?
Jewels in the Trashcan
There happens to be a fortune in jewelry discarded in the trashcan on the sidewalk that you stroll by one night. It might seem that you have a golden opportunity to become rich, except it isn't golden at all because it is a bare opportunity, one that you would be extremely unlikely to recognize and hence act on—or even consider.
These two simple scenarios pump intuitions about the importance of timely information about genuine opportunities, and how free will does not abhor our embedding in a rich causal context; it actually requires it.
Using Intuition Pumps
Consider the intuition pump to be a tool with many settings, and 'turn all the knobs' to see if the same intuitions still get pumped when you consider variations. This self-conscious wariness is itself an important tool for thinking.
For example, the Whimsical Jailer can be varied by changing 'every night' to 'one night', 'sound asleep' to 'drugged', 'unlocking all doors' to 'accidentally leaving one door unlocked'. Each variation changes the flavor and tests the robustness of the pumped intuition.
Intuition pumps can be excellent, dubious, or downright deceptive. They require careful use.
When to use it
Exploring philosophical concepts like free will, consciousness, and morality through vivid scenarios.
Teaching complex ideas by making them tangible and memorable, e.g., using the Chinese Room to discuss AI understanding.
Challenging assumptions by constructing counterexamples that pump contrary intuitions.
Testing the robustness of a theory by seeing if it holds up under different variations of a thought experiment.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Whimsical Jailer
Every night, a jailer unlocks all prison doors while prisoners are asleep. The prisoners have the opportunity to escape but are unaware. This pumps the intuition that opportunity requires awareness and timely information.
Jewels in the Trashcan
A fortune in jewelry is discarded in a trashcan you pass. You have a bare opportunity, but without knowledge, it is not a genuine opportunity. This pumps the intuition that opportunities must be recognized to be actionable.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
In what ways might an intuition pump hide subtle assumptions that influence the intuition it evokes?
Think of a time when a vivid story changed your mind about a philosophical issue. Was it a reliable intuition pump? How could you test it?
How does varying the details of an intuition pump (turning all the knobs) help reveal its strengths and weaknesses?
Often confused with
References
- Minds, Brains, and Programs — Searle, John (1980)
- The Milk of Human Intentionality — Dennett, Daniel (1980)
- Word and Object — Quine, W.V.O. (1960)
- The Mind's I — Hofstadter, Douglas and Dennett, Daniel (1982)
- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! — Feynman, Richard (1985)
- What Do You Care What Other People Think? — Feynman, Richard (1988)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking