Thomas Reid: Ethics, Aesthetics and the Anatomy of the Self

Thomas Reid: Ethics, Aesthetics and the Anatomy of the Self
Author: R.D. Gallie
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 224
Release: 1998-10-31
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780792352419

Studies Reid's moral philosophy and his aesthetics partly by way of an exposition and appraisal of his anatomy of the self, i.e. his division of the mind in terms of its powers and the assignment of the many principles of action to their appropriate levels. A pervasive topic is the consideration of the appropriateness of deterministic computational cognitive science models of Reid's accounts of powers introduced by John Smith III and extensively employed by Keith Lehrer in his important study of Reid's philosophy. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Thomas Reid: Ethics, Aesthetics and the Anatomy of the Self

Thomas Reid: Ethics, Aesthetics and the Anatomy of the Self
Author: R.D. Gallie
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2013-11-11
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9401590206

I: BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF REID Thomas Reid (1710-96) was born at Strachan in Kincardineshire, Scotland, not far from Aberdeen. Reid was fortunate in his family connections. For instance his mother's brother was David Gregory, Savilian professor of Astronomy at Oxford and close friend of Sir Isaac Newton. Reid entered Marischal College, Aberdeen, at the age of twelve after the usual spell in Aberdeen Grammar School. After a short period as college librarian he married his cousin Margaret Gregory, having gained the position of (Presbyterian) minister at New Machar, in the gift of King's College, Aberdeen, which he held from 1737 till 1752. Although Reid published only one paper, An Essay on Quantity, in this period he was far from intellectually idle; for one thing he familiarised himself with the works of Bishop Butler, especially The Analogy of Religion, which, together with those of Samuel Clarke and Isaac Newton, were to have a profound influence on his mature philosophy. In 1752 Reid was appointed a regent at King's College, Aberdeen. During his regency he not only founded a crucially important discussion group, 'The Wise Club', and familiarised himself with David Hume's A Treatise of Human Nature both through his own reading and by exhaustive discussion of it within the group; he also wrote extensively. He composed and delivered his seminal Latin Philosophical Orations.

Thomas Reid's Ethics

Thomas Reid's Ethics
Author: William C. Davis
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2006-10-24
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1847144438

Thomas Reid (1710-96) was one of the most daring and original thinkers of the eighteenth century. His work became the cornerstone of the Scottish School of Common Sense Philosophy, and was highly influential in nineteenth-century America; it also anticipated the thinking of such twentieth-century figures as Moore and Wittgenstein. Now, after a long period of neglect, his philosophy is again the subject of increasing attention across the world. For Reid, knowing about ethics is a matter of having 'good evidence' supplied by a sense-like moral faculty. William Davis's book shows how such a view can be both consistent and plausible in the twenty-first century. Thomas Reid's Ethics begins by characterizing the state of moral epistemology at the time when Reid was writing. It goes on to recount Reid's central claims about the moral sense, and describes the various problems that confront those who would explain and defend his views. Davis lays the foundation for resolving these difficulties by detailing an epistemological conception of evidence which parallels the legal conception of evidence used by the Scottish courts of Reid's day. He then shows how Reid's claims about evidence and self-evidence are best understood in light of this legal model. The book concludes by responding to recent worries about 'moral sense' theories, and offers a final assessment of the success of Reid's ethical project. The book will be of substantial interest not only to Reid scholars and historians of philosophy, but also to specialists and students in contemporary ethics.

Thomas Reid on Mind, Knowledge, and Value

Thomas Reid on Mind, Knowledge, and Value
Author: Rebecca Copenhaver
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2015
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0198733674

This volume offers a fresh view of the work of Thomas Reid, and its significance in his time and ours. A team of leading experts address three broad themes in Reid's philosophy: mind, knowledge, and value. They reveal the vitality of Reid's work, and explore the ways in which current philosophers are engaging with his ideas.

Thomas Reid and the Defence of Duty

Thomas Reid and the Defence of Duty
Author: James Foster
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2024-03-05
Genre:
ISBN: 1474455360

Is morality a subjective matter, dependent on our desires and interests, or are there objective moral truths? And if the latter, can we explain the objectivity of morality without appeal to metaphysics, a robust teleology, or divine command? This book argues that we find just such an account of moral objectivity in Thomas Reid's defence of duty. To make this case, this book provides an explanation of Reid's way of philosophy and his reasons for rejecting moral subjectivism; presents Reid's account of the concept, perception, and motivational force of duty; and responds to contemporary challenges of moral subjectivism and moral pessimism from the perspective of his moral philosophy. Further, this book argues that if Reid is correct, then there is an urgent need to reform current pedagogical practice and return to the teaching of practical ethics.

The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Reid

The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Reid
Author: Terence Cuneo
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2004-01-26
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780521012089

Reid in context / Alexander Broadie -- Thomas Reid and the culture of science / Paul Wood -- Reid on common sense / Nicholas Wolterstorff -- Reid's theory of perception / James Van Cleve / Reid's reply to the skeptic / John Greco -- Nativism and the nature of thought in Reid's account of the external world / Lorne Falkenstein -- Reid and the social operations of mind / C.A.J. Coady -- Reid on memory and the identity of persons / René Van Woudenberg -- Thomas Reid's theory of freedom and responsibility / William L. Rowe -- Reid's moral philosophy / Terence Cueno -- Reid's philosophy of art / Peter Kivy -- Reid's philosophy of religion / Dale Tuggy -- Reid's influence in Britain, Germany, France, and America / Benjamin W. Redekop

Thomas Reid and Scepticism

Thomas Reid and Scepticism
Author: Philip De Bary
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2004-01-14
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1134574673

This book bears witness to the current reawakening of interest in Reid's philosophy. It first examines Reid's negative attack on the Way of Ideas, and finds him to be a devastating critic of his predecessors. Turning to the positive part of Reid's programme, the author then develops a fresh interpretation of Reid as an anticipator of present-day 'reliabilism'. Throughout the book, Reid is presented as a powerful thinker with much to say to philosophers in the twenty-first century. The book will be of interest not only to Reid scholars and historians of philosophy, but also to specialists and students in contemporary epistemology.

Reid on Ethics

Reid on Ethics
Author: S. Roeser
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2009-11-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0230246826

This is the first edited collection to bring together classic pieces and new work by leading scholars of Thomas Reid. The contributors explore key elements of Reid's ideas about moral epistemology, moral emotions, moral agency and practical ethics.

Early Modern Philosophy of Religion

Early Modern Philosophy of Religion
Author: Graham Oppy
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 365
Release: 2014-09-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317546458

The early modern period in philosophy - encompassing the 16th to the 18th centuries - reflects a time of social and intellectual turmoil. The Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Counter-Reformation, and the birth of the Enlightenment all contributed to the re-evaluation of reason and faith. The revolution in science and in natural philosophy swept away two millennia of Aristotelian certainty in a human-centred universe. Covering some of the most important figures in the history of Western thought - notably Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant - "Early Modern Philosophy of Religion" charts the philosophical understanding of religion at a time of intellectual and spiritual revolution. "Early Modern Philosophy of Religion" will be of interest to historians and philosophers of religion, while also serving as an indispensable reference for teachers, students and others who would like to learn more about this formative period in the history of ideas.

God and Design

God and Design
Author: Neil A. Manson
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2003-09-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1134574606

Recent discoveries in physics, cosmology, and biochemistry have captured the public imagination and made the Design Argument - the theory that God created the world according to a specific plan - the object of renewed scientific and philosophical interest. This accessible but serious introduction to the design problem brings together new perspectives from prominent scientists and philosophers including Paul Davies, Richard Swinburne, Sir Martin Rees, Michael Behe, Elliot Sober and Peter van Inwagen. It probes the relationship between modern science and religious belief, considering their points of conflict and their many points of similarity. Is the real God of creationism the 'master clockmaker' who sets the world's mechanism on a perfectly enduring course, or a miraculous presence who continually intervenes in and alters the world we know? Are science and faith, or evolution and creation, really in conflict at all? Expanding the parameters of a lively and urgent debate, God and Design considers how perennial questions of origin continue to fascinate and disturb us.