intuition pump

noun

A type of thought experiment that leads to a specific conclusion through intuition.

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Meanings

nounintuition pump (plural intuition pumps)

plural intuition pumps

  1. A type of thought experiment that leads to a specific conclusion through intuition.

    Intuition pumps, however, can lead us astray. Sometimes what is in fact no more than an intuition pump may appear to us as an argument.

    2011, Julian Baggini, Peter S. Fosl, The Philosopher's Toolkit: A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods, second edition, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 59

Origin

Coined by American philosopher Daniel Dennett.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

intuition pump. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intuition%20pump

MLA

“intuition pump.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intuition%20pump. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “intuition pump,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/intuition%20pump.

Source: intuition pump on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.