Reid, Thomas

AbstractThomas Reid (1710–96) defended the view that there is a plurality of moral first principles which are self‐evident to the conscientious agent. Reid further claimed that these moral principles are not part of the natural order described by science. It is because of these commitments that Reid's view is often described as a version of moral intuitionism (seeIntuitionism, Moral). While not inaccurate, this description conceals important ways in which Reid's view differs from that of later intuitionists, such as W. D. Ross (seeRoss, W. D.). For, unlike Ross, Reid's defense of moral intuitionism appeals primarily to the nature of science and human agency. Only if we have a proper understanding of both these subjects, Reid argues, can we develop a satisfactory theory of morals.