Thomas Reid 1710 – 1796
Thomas Reid was a Scottish philosopher and the founder of the Scottish school of Common Sense. He developed his philosophy in critical reaction to the empiricist tradition of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume, arguing that their theory of ideas led inevitably to a skepticism that violated the convictions on which all human action depends. In their place he proposed that the basic principles of common sense are first principles delivered to us by the constitution of our nature and known immediately. His thought dominated Scottish and American academic philosophy through the nineteenth century.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Scottish
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Scottish Enlightenment, Enlightenment
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Thomas Reid:
“There is no greater impediment to the advancement of knowledge than the ambiguity of words.”
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Attributed to Thomas Reid:
“All reasoning must be from first principles; and for first principles no other reason can be given but this, that, by the constitution of our nature, we are under a necessity of assenting to them.”
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Attributed to Thomas Reid:
“Common sense is the foundation of all reasoning and of all science.”
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Attributed to Thomas Reid:
“It is folly to attempt to confound first principles with conclusions.”
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Attributed to Thomas Reid:
“If there is no liberty, there is no morality.”