Problems from Reid

James Van Cleve here shows why Thomas Reid (1710-96) deserves a place alongside the other canonical figures of modern philosophy. He expounds Reid's positions and arguments on a wide range of topics, taking interpretive stands on points where his meaning is disputed and assessing the value of his contributions to issues philosophers are discussing today. Among the topics Van Cleve explores are Reid's account of perception and its relation to sensation, conception, and belief; his nativist account of the origin of the concepts of space and power; his attempt to clear the way for the belief that.

Cover; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Sensation and Perception; A. Explanations of Terms; B. Sensation versus Perception; C. Reid's Threefold Account of Perception; D. The Conception in Perception; E. Perception and Belief; F. Consciousness and Attention; G. Are Sensations Self-Reflexive?; 2. Reid's Nativism; A. Reid's Nativism; B. Natural Signs; C. The Experimentum Crucis; D. Responses to the Experimentum Crucis; E. Woulds, Coulds, or Shoulds?; F. Nativism as an Antidote to Skepticism; 3. Direct Realism versus the Way of Ideas; A. The Way of Ideas.

B. First Argument for the Way of Ideas: No Action at a DistanceC. Second Argument for the Way of Ideas: Hume's Table Argument; D. Third Argument for the Way of Ideas: Double Vision; E. Fourth Argument for the Way of Ideas: Malebranche's Master Argument; F. Three Forms of Direct Realism; G. Do Sensations Obstruct Direct Perception?; H. Is Reid a Presentational Direct Realist?; I. All Perception Is Direct Perception; 4. Primary and Secondary Qualities; A. Reid's Relation to Locke and Berkeley; B. The Real Foundation: Epistemological or Metaphysical?; C. Dispositions or Bases?

D. Intrinsic or Extrinsic?E. Fixed or …