Thomas Reid Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man A Critical 1st Edition by Derek Brookes, Knud Haakonssen 9780748611898

Reid’s Common Sense philosophy answers these problems by suggesting that sceptics, such as Hume, unavoidably affirm what they purport to deny, namely the existence of a stable external world, of other minds, of the continuity of their own minds, and of their own and other people’s ability to ascribe and accept responsibility for actions. We can understand all of this by proper empirical observation and philosophical analysis of the activity of the mind. Reid’s major positive contribution to philosophy is a detailed account of the various innate powers of the mind. While particularly influential in the first half of the nineteenth century, Reid’s work has retained a significant role in philosophy, not least in recent years. At the same time, his role in the Scottish Enlightenment is becoming much better understood.

This is the only properly established text. It is accompanied by manuscript lectures on the nature and immortality of the soul, as well as helpful editorial annotation and introduction, making it useful to a wide variety of readers.

Key Features

• Accurate, reliable and critically established text
• The Introduction explains the work’s genesis and its place in Reid’s system
• Annotations provide an understanding of Reid’s context
• An Appendix contains manuscript material covering an important topic not represented in the hitherto published work