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Thomas Reid's Theory of Perception (Hardcover)
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Thomas Reid's Theory of Perception (Hardcover)
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The thesis that the mind cannot directly apprehend features of the
physical world - what Reid calls the Way of Ideas - is a staple of
Early Modern philosophical tradition. This commitment to the direct
awareness of, and only of, mental representations unifies the
otherwise divergent philosophical systems of Rationalists and
Empiricists. Thomas Reid battles against this thesis on many
fronts, in particular over the nature of perception. Ryan Nichols
lays the groundwork for Reid's theory of perception by developing
Reid's unheralded argument against a representational theory of
thought, which Nichols applies to his discussion of the
intentionality of perceptual states and Reid's appeal to 'signs'.
Reid's efforts to preserve common sense epistemic commitments also
lead him to adopt unique theories about our concepts of primary and
secondary qualities, and about original and acquired perceptions.
About the latter pair, Nichols argues that most perceptual beliefs
depend for their justification upon inferences. The Way of Ideas
holds that sensations are objects of awareness and that our senses
are not robustly unified. Nichols develops Reid's counter-proposals
by examining his discussion of the evolutionary purpose of
sensations, and the nature of our awareness of sensations, as well
as his intriguing affirmative answer to Molyneux's questions.
Nichols brings to the writing of this book a consummate knowledge
of Reid's texts, published and unpublished, and a keen appreciation
for Reid's responses to his predecessors. He frequently
reconstructs arguments in premise/conclusion form, thereby
clarifying disputes that have frustrated previous Reid scholarship.
This clarification, his lively examples, and his plainspoken style
make this book especially readable. Reid's theory of perception is
by far the most important feature of Reid's philosophical system,
and Nichols offers what will be, for a long time to come, the
definitive analysis of this theory.
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