Thomas Reid

Scottish philosopher (1710–1796)

  • Fame54.1
  • Momentum0.0
  • Wikipedia3.5K
Source-basedStable
Lived 1710–1796, aged 86United Kingdom
  • Wikipedia
    36 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1710–1796
    Aged 86
  • Awards
    1
    recognised work
Summary
Updated 2026-06-08

The Scottish philosopher who built an entire school of thought on the idea that some things are just obvious — and spent decades arguing that David Hume, his contemporary and target, had philosophized himself into absurdity by doubting them.

Biography

About

Born in 1710, Reid trained in religion but turned to philosophy, where he became Hume's earliest and fiercest critic. He founded the Scottish School of Common Sense, arguing that perception and basic truths don't need elaborate proof — they're self-evident starting points, not puzzles to dissolve. His work spread across epistemology, free will (he championed agent causation), ethics, language, and philosophy of mind. In 1783 he co-founded the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His Essays on the Active Powers of the Human Mind arrived in 1788, laying out how the mind acts — through will, moral princip…

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Fame
Stable
54.1
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum0.0
Historical24.1
Now attention0.2
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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Sources

  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence