Page "Ethical intuitionism" Paragraph 8

The rationalist version of ethical intuitionism models ethical intuitions on a priori, non-empirically-based intuitions of truths, such as basic truths of mathematics.

Take for example the belief that two minus one is one.

This piece of knowledge is often thought to be non-inferential in that it is not grounded in or justified by some other proposition or claim.

Rather, one who understands the relevant concepts involved in the proposition that two minus one is one has what one might call an " intuition " of the truth of the proposition.

One intuits the truth of the proposition, rather than inferring it.

Likewise, the ethical intuitionist claims that basic moral truths — whether they are principles ( such as don't kill people ) or judgments ( such as it is wrong to kill people )-- are known without inference, and in particular they are known via one's rational intuition.