Thomas Reid

Thomas Reid (1710-1796), Scottish philosopher, was the founder of the so-called ScottishSchoolofCommonSense. He believed that CommonSense--this terms is used in a special philosophical sense--is or should be at the foundation of all philosophical inquiry. He advocated DirectRealism, or CommonSenseRealism, and inveighed strongly against TheTheoryOfIdeas advocated by JohnLocke, ReneDescartes, and (in varying forms) nearly all EarlyModernPhilosophers who came after them. He wrote a number of important philosophical works, including Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense, the Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man, and the Essays on the Active Powers of Man. He played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment. In his day and for some years into the 19th century, he was regarded as more important than DavidHume. His reputation waned after attacks on the ScottishSchoolofCommonSense by ImmanuelKant and JohnStuartMill. His reputation has arisen again in the wake of the influence of GeorgeEMoore, particularly due to attention given Reid by the likes of WilliamAlston and AlvinPlantinga.

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Meta-observation: the above took me less than ten minutes to write and required no research on my part. I could continue on and write twenty articles like this in a day with no trouble. Go thou and do likewise.