Essays on the Active Powers of Man [Paperback]

Thomas Reid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1986 | ISBN-10: 0935005641 | ISBN-13: 978-0935005646

The Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid (1710-1796) first published Essays on Active Powers of Man in 1788 while he was Professor of Philosophy at King's College, Aberdeen. The work contains a set of essays on active power, the will, principles of action, the liberty of moral agents, and morals. Reid was a key figure in the Scottish Enlightenment and one of the founders of the 'common sense' school of philosophy. In Active Powers Reid gives his fullest exploration of sensus communis as the basis of all philosophical inquiry. He uses common sense realism to argue for the existence of a stable external world, the existence of other minds, and to offer a powerful challenge to versions of the Theory of Ideas advocated by Hume (1711-1776) and Locke (1632-1704). This is a key work of the Scottish Enlightenment that made important contributions to fundamental debates about the basis of philosophical inquiry.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

This study of active power, the will, principles of action, the liberty of moral agents, and morals first appeared in 1788. A key work of the Scottish Enlightenment and a foundational text of 'common sense' philosophy, it contains Reid's fullest exploration of sensus communis as the basis of philosophical inquiry. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Classworks (August 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935005641
• ISBN-13: 978-0935005646
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,711,922 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)