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this cannot be fully expressed by means of intellectual 

 concepts. Only direct acquaintance can give knowledge 

 of what is unique and new. But direct acquaintance of 

 this kind is given fully in sensation, and does not require, 

 so far as I can see, any special faculty of intuition for its 

 apprehension. It is neither intellect nor intuition, but 

 sensation, that supplies new data ; but when the data 

 are new in any remarkable manner, intellect is much more 

 capable of dealing with them than intuition would be. 

 The hen with a brood of ducklings no doubt has intuitions 

 which seem to place her inside them, and not merely to 

 know them analytically ; but when the ducklings take 

 to the water, the whole apparent intuition is seen to be 

 illusory, and the hen is left helpless on the shore. 

 Intuition, in fact, is an aspect and development of instinct, 

 and, like all instinct, is admirable in those customary 

 surroundings which have moulded the habits of the 

 animal in question, but totally incompetent as soon as 

 the surroundings are changed in a way which demands 

 some non-habitual mode of action. 



The theoretical understanding of the world, which is 

 the aim of philosophy, is not a matter of great practical 

 importance to animals, or to savages, or even to most 

 civilised men. It is hardly to be supposed, therefore, 

 that the rapid, rough and ready methods of instinct or 

 intuition will find in this field a favourable ground for 

 their application. It is the older kinds of activity, which 

 bring out our kinship with remote generations of animal 

 and semi-human ancestors, that show intuition at its best. 

 In such matters as self-preservation and love, intuition 

 will act sometimes (though not always) with a swiftness 

 and precision which are astonishing to the critical intellect. 

 But philosophy is not one of the pursuits which illustrate 

 our affinity with the past : it is a highly refined, highly 



