Reid's Principle of Credulity as a Principle of Charity

Abstract

Reid's principle of credulity may be interpreted as equivalent to a principle of charity, due to the nature of three beliefs it implies concerning the interlocutors, which are held by the person who attempts to acquire their language: (1) They are telling truth in the sense that they are saying what they really think, perceive, feel, believe; (2) they are veracious in the sense that what they say is objectively true; (3) they use language consistently. This interpretation relies on Reid's straightforward remarks on his principle of credulity and on his view of two related correspondences: One correspondence is between the principle of credulity and the principle of veracity. The other is between these two principles and the principles that create the ‘language of nature’ and guide us in our efforts to unravel it.