The uses of the common sense in Thomas Reid’s philosophy

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2019.3.32795

Keywords:

Thomas Reid. Common sense. Foundation. Method. Refutation

Abstract

This paper aims to discuss the philosophical roles of common sense in Thomas Reid’s thought. I argue that there is not only one way of appealing to common sense in at- tempt of discovering truth and allowing knowledge. According to my understanding, Reid makes at least three distinct uses of common sense: (1) the foundational use, in which common sense is taken as the foundation upon which knowledge must be built; (2) the methodological use, in which common sense arises as a source of methodological presuppositions of philosophical investigations; (3) the instrumental use, in which common sense, in the light of the emotion of ridicule, is used as an instrument to refute philosophical principles and conclusions.

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Author Biography

Vinícius França Freitas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.

Doutor em Filosofia pela Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) e pela Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (2017).

References

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Published

2019-12-31

How to Cite

França Freitas, V. (2019). The uses of the common sense in Thomas Reid’s philosophy. Veritas (Porto Alegre), 64(3), e32795. https://doi.org/10.15448/1984-6746.2019.3.32795