Title: A study of rational intuition
Description: In this dissertation, I defend the rationalist view that our knowledge of abstract objects such as numbers, shapes, and universals derives from rational intuition. I argue that rational intuitions are similar to sensory perceptions: in both you learn by having experiences of some subject matter. The difference is that in a rational intuition you do not learn about concrete items by having sensory experiences of them; rather you learn about abstract objects by having intellectual experiences of their natures, or essences. I explain how it is possible for experiences to reveal the natures of abstract objects, give an account of what it is like to have such experiences, and argue for the view that experiences with this phenomenology justify belief.