Intuitionism is a view of the origin of ideas which claims we know directly without any "mediation"--that is, without any processes between the knowledge and the knower. Hunches, flashes of insight, and mystical experiences are examples of intuitive knowledge. Unlike innatism, empiricism and authoritarianism, we cannot presicely identify the source of intuitive knowledge. Intuitionism is the least understood source of ideas since we cannot identify the source by which we gain intuitive knowledge. Yet intuitionists argue that some of the most important truths in life are known by intuition.

For mystics, the best way to know God is through an intuitive or immediate experience of God. While science is usually seen as the province of empiricism, many great scientific advances were made by what appears to be intuitive flashes of insight. While intuitionism is often criticized because there are no objective standards by which to judge its accuracy, the intuitionist would say that the experience is so powerful, it is self-authenticating.

While both intuitionism and innatism focus on knowledge that comes from inside the person, they are also different. Innatist knowledge is common to everyone while intuitive knowledge is peculiar to an individual.