REID, THOMAS (1710-06). A leading philos opher of the Scottish school. Be was horn April 26, 1710, at Strachan, Kincardineshire, began his education in the parish school of Kincardine. and at the age of twelve became a student at Marischal College in Aberdeen. Ile took his degree of M.A. in 1726, and continued to reside in Aberdeen as college librarian, his chief studies being mathe matics and the philosophy of Newton. In 1737 he was presented by the senatus of Col lege to the pariah church of New Mac%ar in Aberdeenshire. The parishioners were bitterly opposed to his appointment, but his conduct and manner gradually won them over. In 1739 Home's treatise of Haman Nature appeared, the perusal of which the impulse that deter mined his future career. He had fully adopted the idealism of Berkeley, but was now revolted by the conclusions d l'a WO from it by Hume, and in consequence was led to seek a new foundation for the common notions as to a material world. In 1748 he contributed to the Royal Society of London a short es-ay an Qu en tity. occasioned by what he considered an abusive application by Hutcheson of the forms ( f m the matieal reasoning to In 1730 he was ap pointed one of the professors of philosophy in King's College, Aberdeen. here he taught mathe matics, natural philosophy, and moral philos ophy. In I763 he wa, chosen to -ucceed Adam as profes-or of moral philosophy in the Eniversily of Glasgow. lie now confined himself to teaching metaphysics and p.yelmlogy. In
1764 he published his Inquiry into the Human .11ind on. thi Principles of t'ommon lie continued in the duties of his chair till 17s1, when lie devoted his remaining strength to the publication of his works on the mind. In 1785 the Essays on the Intellectual Powers appeared: and in 17s8 Essays on the Ay/iv< rs., The publication of the latter was the (dose of his career as an author, although to the end of his life he kept up his bodily and mental vigor, and his interest in science. He died rictober 7, 1796. The distinguishing feature of hi. philosophy was the assertion of certain irresistible convictions which are due to intuitions. Among them are the conviction as to the real existence of an ex ternal world, as to the cau.al connection of phenomena, as to the moral character of actions and the existence of the soul. These conviction. are called axioms, self-evident truths, prideiples of common en,e. 'the existence of these con victions is proved, so Reid maintains, by the tes timony of experience. See Com NION SENSE. Reid's works were edited by Dugald Stewart (Edinburgh, 1SO4), with a Life by Stewart : and by Hamilton very elaborately (8th ed., ib., 1850 Consult : ...\leCosli, Scottish Philosophy from Hutcheson to Hamilton 1New York, (s75) : A. Seth ( Pringle Pa tt ison 1, Scottish Philosophy 12d ed., Edinburgh, 18901 ; Sneath. The Phi losophy of Reid (New York, 1892) ; Fraser, Rf id (Edinburgh, 1898).