Thomas Reid (1710–1796) is best known as the founder and principal philosopher of “common sense,” or more properly, “Scottish Common Sense Realism” (SCSR). Reid was highly respected and quite influential in the days of the eighteenth-century Scottish Enlightenment, but the popularity of . . . Continue reading →
Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 2: On First Principles
The great conundrum faced by philosophers since time immemorial is the question “how do we know what we know?” This question falls under the subcategory of philosophy known as epistemology. Those who contend that all human knowledge arises through our senses are . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 3: On Perception
Kant argued that what we perceive with our senses is not the thing in itself, since sense data must be mediated through our a priori categories. We all may see the same object which exists independently of our minds. Yet, our experience . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 4: The Decline of SCSR
Although more influential during his lifetime than Hume, one question lurking throughout this discussion is why Reid and SCSR fell into such relative obscurity so quickly if common sense is self-evident? The obvious reason is that Reid’s Inquiry was completely overshadowed soon . . . Continue reading →
Thomas Reid’s Common Sense Philosophy Part 5: The Implications for Doing Apologetics
I hope that the points which follow will serve to place Reid, and by implication, Old Princeton, in a more objective and favorable light, and as a consequence, help Reformed Christians recover confidence in the proper use of Christian evidences when engaging . . . Continue reading →