I like to refer to my animal instinct/intuition as a "gut feeling". It's been dead on when sizing up others and their intentions. Sometimes, I've been the only one in a group of people with my hackles standing on end because something/someone really isn't copasetic.
As to applying this to broader topics, like politics, religion, laws, etc, I take my immediate reaction to it, then take it apart, and look at it piece by piece, almost like a core sample. What happened here? What was said? What was done? What does/does not add up? I weigh what may be a bias on my part. I bounce the feelings and ultimate conclusion off a trusted person to gain a new angle. My ENFP sister is a good person for this. My Ti isn't very strong, but it IS useful when I'm on sure ground with my Ni and Fe, and it can help declutter the inevitable static.