Reid, Thomas (1710–96)

Abstract

Abstract Thomas Reid was one of the major figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. He is often credited as the founder of Scottish common sense philosophy. Reid was a minister in the Church of Scotland and regent at King's College, Aberdeen, succeeded Adam Smith as professor of moral philosophy at the University of Glasgow, and authored three major works of philosophy: An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (1764), Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man (1785), and Essays on the Active Powers of Man (1788). Though often overlooked or underappreciated in the standard history of western philosophy, Reid and common sense philosophy had an influence upon the American academic community. Reid's philosophical work was a direct response to the skepticism of David Hume. Unfortunately for Reid, his reputation suffered in comparison to that other celebrated critic of Hume, Immanuel Kant.