When the desired conclusion is unknown, discursive thought commonly involves two movements:
1. From the question to potential principles or previously known concepts relevant to answering it.
2. From the selected and arranged principles to the conclusion.
For example, one looking for a traditional definition of the human may search for the terms “animal” and “rational” and arrange them appropriately.
When the relevant starting points and their relationship become evident without such an extended search, the textbook discusses this under intuition (ḥads).