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Essays on the Active Powers of Man
"
Knowledge derives its value from this, that it enlarges our power, and directs us in the application of it. For in the right employment of our active power consists all the honour, dignity and worth of a man, and, in the abuse and perversion of it, all vice, corruption and depravity.(...)".
Knowledge derives its value from this, that it enlarges our power, and directs us in the application of it. For in the right employment of our active power consists all the honour, dignity and worth of a man, and, in the abuse and perversion of it, all vice, corruption and depravity.(...)".
504 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1788
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About the author
Thomas Reid
325 books35 followersThe Reverend Thomas Reid FRSE, a religiously trained Scottish philosopher and a contemporary of David Hume, was the founder of the Scottish School of Common Sense and played an integral role in the Scottish Enlightenment. The early part of his life was spent in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he created the 'Wise Club' (a literary-philosophical association) and graduated from the University of Aberdeen. He was given a professorship at King's College, Aberdeen in 1752, where he wrote An Inquiry Into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense (published in 1764). Shortly afterwards he was given the prestigious Professorship of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow when he was called to replace Adam Smith. He resigned from this position in 1781.
Reid believed that common sense (in a special philosophical sense of sensus communis) is, or at least should be, at the foundation of all philosophical inquiry. He disagreed with Hume, who asserted that we can never know what an external world consists of as our knowledge is limited to the ideas in the mind, and George Berkeley, who asserted that the external world is merely ideas in the mind. By contrast, Reid claimed that the foundations upon which our sensus communis are built justify our belief that there is an external world.
Reid believed that common sense (in a special philosophical sense of sensus communis) is, or at least should be, at the foundation of all philosophical inquiry. He disagreed with Hume, who asserted that we can never know what an external world consists of as our knowledge is limited to the ideas in the mind, and George Berkeley, who asserted that the external world is merely ideas in the mind. By contrast, Reid claimed that the foundations upon which our sensus communis are built justify our belief that there is an external world.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 12, 2025
Very boring and repetitive book. Suffers from irrationality of first movers argument, atomism was not rly allowed by church so it’s permissible. But the investigation of the ecology of active power was incredibly surface level. In discussing nonage he nearly got to good point about sovereignty but would lose himself and go back to being rly boring. Also the animals take was bad as the definition of moral principles is kinda accepted to be deontology in nature or rule based. If those laws spawn from an aversion to pain is it not the same reason which a horse obeys our commands that we follow the laws of our government, our friends (social laws), matrimony, paternity… (etc to every other sphere of relation).
Was also rly tired and read this in one sitting late at night, so could be my mental state deriving my reasons for hating this book. Imo tho not worth the time unless you have no active power of it :)
Was also rly tired and read this in one sitting late at night, so could be my mental state deriving my reasons for hating this book. Imo tho not worth the time unless you have no active power of it :)
Displaying 1 of 1 review