https://doi.org/10.21697/spch.2022.58.A.10
Thomas Reid, founder of the Scottish school of common sense, held the thesis that all previous philosophical systems were tainted by the same “original sin” – the adoption (in various forms) of a representationalist theory of sense perception. He called it the “theory of ideas,” the consequence of which was to separate the subject and object of perception by an irremovable “veil of ideas.” Before formulating his own account Reid considered this issue from a historical perspective, attempting to demonstrate the validity of his position. The purpose of this article is to answer the question of the relevance of Reid’s views to the theory that perception is direct or immediate. It is primarily concerned with the view characteristic of the Aristotelian-Thomistic tradition, traditionally interpreted as presentationalism, and Descartes’ views on the status of “ideas” in the process of knowing the so-called external world. At the same time, the analysis carried out points to simplifications in the Reidian interpretation of his predecessors’ views on the nature of perception and to features of the theories criticized that justify it to some extent.
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Received: 28/10/2022. Reviewed: 24/11/2022. Accepted: 16/12/2022.
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