Intuition, No! …Quasirationality, Yes!

Abstract

The miracles of intuitive judgment have long been celebrated, and they are no doubt there and worth celebrating, but our commitment to science requires us to unmask those miracles and bring them under examination. Our first task is to apply our knowledge to the development of cognitive skill in our species so that we can improve our political skill and thus reduce the yearly millions of deaths due to lack of that skill. Replacing reliance on “intuition” by turning to “quasirationality” can be our first step in that direction. This article indicates and explains how that step can be taken and describes some applications of the basic concepts that make it possible.

Acknowledgments

Kenneth Hammond is professor of psychology (ret.) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. I thank Robert Bateman for providing information and for his unwavering support over many years. I also thank Jordan Quaglia for opening my mind to new ideas. Without the help of these two sturdy friends I could not have written this article.