Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid
Thomas Reid FRSEwas a religiously trained Scottish philosopher, a contemporary of David Hume as well as "Hume's earliest and fiercest critic." He was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment. The early part of his life was spent in Aberdeen and he graduated from the University of Aberdeen. He began his career as a Minister of the Church of Scotland but ceased to be a Ministerwhen he was given...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionNovelist
Date of Birth4 April 1818
believed built express immediate meaning objects observe thoughts word
This is the philosophical meaning of the word idea; and we may observe that this meaning of that word is built upon a philosophical opinion: for, if philosophers had not believed that there are such immediate objects of all our thoughts in the mind, they would never have used the word idea to express them.
real believe thinking
The want of faith, as well as faith itself, is best shewn by works. If a sceptic avoid the fire as much as those who believe it dangerous to go into it, we can hardly avoid thinking his scepticism to be feigned, and not real.
believe men giving
Every man feels that perception gives him an invincible belief of the existence of that which he perceives; and that this belief is not the effect of reasoning, but the immediate consequence of perception. When philosophers have wearied themselves and their readers with their speculations upon this subject, they can neither strengthen this belief, nor weaken it; nor can they shew how it is produced. It puts the philosopher and the peasant upon a level; and neither of them can give any other reason for believing his senses, than that he finds it impossible for him to do otherwise.
might
might not be an appropriate place for him to stay.
active beings distinct follows understanding
It follows also, that the active power, of which only we can have any distinct conception, can be only in beings that have understanding and will.
began beginning brought capable child distinct faculties forth full grows hath history human infant life light mind natural obtain ourselves passed sensation systems till various
If we could obtain a distinct and full history of all that hath passed in the mind of a child from the beginning of life and sensation till it grows up to the use of reason, how its infant faculties began to work, and how they brought forth and ripened all the various notions, opin-ions, and sentiments, which we find in ourselves when we come to be capable of reflection, this would be a trea-sure of natural history which would probably give more light into the human faculties, than all the systems of philosophers about them from the beginning of the world.
common fastidious granted setting structure surely takes treating
But when, in the first setting out, he takes it for granted without proof, that distinctions found in the structure of all languages, have no foundation in nature; this surely is too fastidious a way of treating the common sense of mankind.
act allow besides call expression immediate implies mind object vulgar
The vulgar allow that this expression implies a mind that thinks, an act of that mind which we call thinking, and an object about which we think. But, besides these three, the philosopher conceives that there is a fourth-to wit, the idea, which is the immediate object.
common mean speak thinking
When, therefore, in common language, we speak of having an idea of anything, we mean no more by that expression, but thinking of it.
mosaic original
This is the original mosaic tile and marble.
knows people safety
He knows a lot of people in these different facilities, ... Sometimes there are safety issues.
far laws less motive proof seen strongest
But I have never seen any proof that there are such laws of nature, far less any proof that the strongest motive always prevails.
found identical measure motives prevails principle proves strength strongest test
If no other test or measure of the strength of motives can be found but their prevailing, then this boasted principle will be only an identical proposition, and signify only that the strongest motive is the strongest motive, and the motive that prevails is the motive that prevails -which proves nothing.
three
If we try all three at once, I dont know where that will be,