|
The Scottish School of Common Sense was a school of philosophy that flourished in Scotland in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It found its roots in responses to the writings of such philosophers as John Locke, George Berkeley and David Hume, and its most prominent members were Thomas Reid and William Hamilton (who combined Reid's approach with the philosophy of Immanuel Kant). It exerted an influence on philosophers elsewhere in Europe as well as in the United States, including the American pragmatist C. S. Peirce. The central concern of the school is the defence of common sense against philosophical paradox and scepticism. Common-sense beliefs govern the lives and thought even of those who avow non-commonsensical beliefs, and matters of common sense are within "the reach of common understanding." This isn't to say that critical thought isn't sometimes necessary in order to establish whether or not a particular belief is a belief of common sense, but once one has established that it is, it simply follows that that belief is true.
See also Sources | ||||||||
|
| |||||||||
 |
|
| |