Of the degrees, or differences in clearness, of our knowledge: 1.
Intuitive. All our knowledge consisting, as I have said, in the view
the mind has of its own ideas, which is the utmost light and
greatest certainty we, with our faculties, and in our way of
knowledge, are capable of, it may not be amiss to consider a little
the degrees of its evidence. The different clearness of our
knowledge seems to me to lie in the different way of perception the
mind has of the agreement or disagreement of any of its ideas. For
if we will reflect on our own ways of thinking, we will find, that
sometimes the mind perceives the agreement or disagreement of two
ideas immediately by themselves, without the intervention of any
other: and this I think we may call intuitive knowledge. For in this
the mind is at no pains of proving or examining, but perceives the
truth as the eye doth light, only by being directed towards it. Thus
the mind perceives that white is not black, that a circle is not a
triangle, that three are more than two and equal to one and two.
Such kinds of truths the mind perceives at the first sight of the
ideas together, by bare intuition; without the intervention of any
other idea: and this kind of knowledge is the clearest and most
certain that human frailty is capable of. This part of knowledge is
irresistible, and, like bright sunshine, forces itself immediately
to be perceived, as soon as ever the mind turns its view that way; and
leaves no room for hesitation, doubt, or examination, but the mind
is presently filled with the clear light of it.
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