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Thomas Reid on Freedom and Morality

Author: William L. Rowe

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2018-10-18

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 1501718614

In this succinct and well-written book, one of our most eminent philosophers provides a fresh reading of the view of freedom and morality developed by Thomas Reid (1710-1796). Although contemporary theorists have written extensively about the Scottish philosopher's contributions to the theory of knowledge, this is the first book-length study of his contributions to the controversy over freedom and necessity. William L. Rowe argues that Reid developed a subtle, systematic theory of moral freedom based on the idea of the human being as a free and morally responsible agent. He carefully reconstructs the theory and explores the intellectual background to Reid's views in the work of John Locke, Samuel Clarke, and Anthony Collins. Rowe develops a novel account of Reid's conception of free action and relates it to contemporary arguments that moral responsibility for an action implies the power to have done otherwise. Distilling from Reid's work a viable version of the agency theory of freedom and responsibility, he suggests how Reid's theory can be defended against the major objections—both historical and contemporary—that have been advanced against it. Blending to good effect historical and philosophical analysis, Thomas Reid on Freedom and Morality should interest philosophers, political theorists, and intellectual historians.

Thomas Reid on Practical Ethics

Author: Thomas Reid

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Published: 2007-07-06

Total Pages: 480

ISBN-13: 0748630805

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The pervasiveness of Protestant natural law in the early modern period and its significance in the Scottish Enlightenment have long been recognised. This book reveals that Thomas Reid (1710-1796) - the great contemporary of David Hume and Adam Smith - also worked in this tradition. When Reid succeeded Adam Smith as professor of moral philosophy in Glasgow in 1764, he taught a course covering pneumatology, practical ethics, and politics. This section on practical ethics took its starting point from the system of natural law and rights published by Francis Hutcheson. Knud Haakonssen has reconstructed it here for the first time from Reid's manuscript lectures and papers, and it provides a considerable addition to our understanding not only of Reid but of the thought of the Scottish Enlightenment and of the education system of the time. The present work is a revised version of a work first published by Princeton University Press in 1990 which has long been out of print.

Thomas Reid on the Ethical Life

Author: Terence Cuneo

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2020-09-24

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 1108619606

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This Element presents the rudiments of Thomas Reid's agency-centered ethical theory. According to this theory, an ethical theory must address three primary questions. What is it to be an agent? What is ethical reality like, such that agents could know it? And how can agents respond to ethical reality, commit themselves to being regulated by it, and act well in doing so? Reid's answers to these questions are wide-ranging, borrowing from the rational intuitionist, sentimentalist, Aristotelian, and Protestant natural law traditions. This Element explores how Reid blends together these influences, how he might respond to concerns raised by rival traditions, and specifies what distinguishes his approach from those of other modern philosophers.

Reid on Ethics

Author: S. Roeser

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2009-11-30

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 0230246826

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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.

The Works of Thomas Reid

Author: Thomas Reid

Publisher: General Books

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9781458985132

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Book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1815. Excerpt: ... ESSAY IV. 4 OF THE LIBERTY OF MORAL AGENTS. CHAP. I. THE NOTIONS OF MORAL LIBERTY AND NECESSITY STATED. Br the liberty of a moral agent, I understand, a power over the dcterminations of his own will. If, in any action, he had power to will what he did, or aot to will it, in that action he is frce. But if, in every voluntary action, the dctermination of his will he the nceessary consequcnee of somcthing involuntary in the state of his mind, or of somcthing in his external cireumstanees, he is not frce; he has not what I eall the liberty of a moral agent, but is subjcet to nceessity. [Note A A.] This liberty supposes the agent to have understanding and will; for the dcterminations of the will are the sole objcet about which this power is employed; and there ean be no will, without, at least, such a degrce of understanding as gives the coneeption of that which we will. The liberty of a moral agent implics, not only a conception of what he wills, but some degrce of practieal judgment or reason. For, if he has not the judgment to diseern one determination to be preferable to another, cither in itself, or for some purpose which he intends, what ean be the use of a power to dctermine? his dcterminations must be made perfcetly in the dark, without reason, motive, or end. They ean ncither be right nor wrong, wise nor foolish. Whatever the consequcnees may be, they eannot be imputed to the agent, who had not the eapacity of foresceing tliem, or of pereciving any reason for acting otherwise than he did. We may perhaps be able to conecive a bcing endowed with power over the dcterminations of his will, without any light in his mind to dircet that power to some end. But such power would be given in vain. No exereise of it could be cither blamed or approved. As nature gives no power in vain, I sc...

Thomas Reid and the Defence of Duty

Author: James Foster

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Published: 2024-03-05

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1474455379

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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.

Selections from the Scottish Philosophy of Common Sense

Author: George Alexander Johnston

Publisher:

Published: 1911

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13:

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The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Reid

Author: Terence Cuneo

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2004-01-26

Total Pages: 575

ISBN-13: 1139826751

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Widely acknowledged as the principal architect of Scottish common sense philosophy, Thomas Reid is increasingly recognized today as one of the finest philosophers of the eighteenth century. Combining a sophisticated response to the skeptical and idealist views of his day, Reid's thought stands as an important alternative to Humean skepticism, Kantian idealism and Cartesian rationalism. This volume is the first comprehensive overview of Reid's output and covers not only his philosophy in detail, but also his scientific work and his extensive historical influence.

Rationality and Freedom

Author: Amartya Sen

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2004-03-30

Total Pages: 756

ISBN-13: 9780674013513

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Rationality and freedom are among the most profound and contentious concepts in philosophy and the social sciences. In this, the first of two volumes, Amartya Sen brings clarity and insight to these difficult issues.

Western Philosophy

Author: John G. Cottingham

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2021-07-02

Total Pages: 944

ISBN-13: 1119165741

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The new edition of this celebrated anthology surveys the Western philosophical tradition from its origins in ancient Greece to the work of today’s leading philosophers Western Philosophy: An Anthology provides an authoritative guided tour through the great tradition of Western philosophical thought. The seminal writings of the great philosophers along with more recent readings of contemporary interest are explored in 144 substantial and carefully chosen extracts, each preceded by a lucid introduction, guiding readers through the history of a diverse range of key arguments, and explaining how important theories fit into the unfolding story of Western philosophical inquiry. Broad in scope, the anthology covers all the main branches of philosophy: theory of knowledge and metaphysics, logic and language, philosophy of mind, the self and freedom, religion and science, moral philosophy, political theory, aesthetics, and the meaning of life, all in self-contained parts which can be worked on by students and instructors independently. The third edition of the Anthology contains newly incorporated classic texts from thinkers such as Aquinas, Machiavelli, Descartes, William James, and Wittgenstein. Each of the 144 individual extracts is now followed by sample questions focusing on the key philosophical problems raised by the excerpt, and accompanied by detailed further reading suggestions that include up-to-date links to online resources. Also new to this edition is an introductory essay written by John Cottingham, which offers advice to students on how to read and write about a philosophical text. Part of the Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies series, Western Philosophy: An Anthology, Third Edition remains an indispensable collection of classic source materials and expert insights for both beginning and advanced university students in a wide range of philosophy courses.