Thomas Reid’s Conception of Practical Ethics

The article analyzes the concept of practical ethics in the moral philosophy of Thomas Reid (1710–1796). The significance of this study is determined by the fact that Reid, for the first time in the history of ethics, offers an internally differentiated conception of moral philosophy, which includes two parts: the theory of morality and practical ethics. The theory of morality studies the conditions for the possibility of morality (moral psychology and epistemology). Practical ethics is normative, deals directly with the content of morality (duties, rules, and first principles). Both parts of moral philosophy is cognitive in the nature. By distinguishing the theory of morality and practical ethics, Reid expresses a key idea for him: the distinction between good and evil and the fulfillment of duties is attainable to any reasonable person free from the influence of passions and prejudices. They do not need any special philosophical knowledge to fulfill their duty. Reid’s idea was perceived in contemporary ethics as a possible key for overcoming the difficulties that applied ethics faces today: (a) the problem of confirming its philosophical status; (b) the problem of the relevance of its guidelines, which are often perceived as abstract theorizing by specialists in specific fields. Reid showed that in morality, unlike other sciences such as anatomy, there can be no experts, and in order to be relevant, ethics must speak the same language with those to whom it addresses, and about those specific problems that are essential to them.

1. Abramov M.A. (2014) Thomas Reid and Common Sense Philosophy: The Scottish Answer to Scepticism. In: Reid T. Philosophy of Common Sense (pp. 5–42). Moscow: Kanon+ (in Russian).

2. Cicero (1974) On Duties. In: Cicero. Cato the Elder on Old Age. On Friendship. On Duties. Moscow: Nauka (Russian translation).

3. Cuneo T. (2010) Duty, Goodness and God in Thomas Reid’s Moral Philosophy In: Roeser S. (Ed.) Reid on Ethics (pp. 238–257). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan.

4. Cuneo T. (2016) Reid’s Ethics. In: Zalta E.N. (Ed.) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 Edition). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2016/entries/reid-ethics/

5. Graham G. (2010) The Significance of Reid’s Practical Ethics. In: Roeser S. (Ed.) Reid on Ethics (pp. 223–237). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan.

6. Gryaznov A.F. (1979) Philosophy of Scottish School. Moscow: Moscow State University Press (in Russian).

7. Haakonssen K. (2007) Thomas Reid on Practical Ethics. Lectures and Papers on Natural Religion, Self-Government, Natural Juriceprudence and the Law of Nations. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Haakonssen K. & Harris J.A. (2010) Introduction. In: Reid R. Essays on the Active Powers of Man (K. Haakonssen & J.A. Harris, Eds.). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

8. Harris J.A. (2010) Reid on Hume on Justice. In: Roeser S. (Ed.) Reid on Ethics (pp. 204–222). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan.

9. Milyutin Yu.E. (2000) Thomas Reid’s Philosophy of Common Sense. In: Reid T. An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principals of the Common Sense (pp. 6–85). Saint Petersburg: Aletheia (in Russian).

10. Reid T. (2000) An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principals of the Common Sense. Saint Petersburg: Aletheia (Russian translation).

11. Reid T. (2007) Lectures and Papers on Practical Ethics (K. Haakonessen, Ed.). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

12. Reid T. (2010) Essays on the Active Powers of Man (K. Haakonssen & J.A. Harris, Eds.). Edinburg: Edinburg University Press.

13. Reid T. (2014) Philosophy of Common Sense (A.L. Subbotin, Ed.; M.A. Abramov, I.I. Myurberg, Trans.). Moscow: Kanon+ (in Russian).

14. Roeser S. (2010) Introduction: Thomas Reid’s Moral Philosophy. In: S. Roeser (Ed.) Reid on Ethics (pp. 1–22). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan.

15. Rowe W. (2001) Reid, Thomas. In: Becker L.C. & Becker Ch.B. (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Ethics (Vol. 3, pp. 1470–1472). New York, London: Routledge.

16. Solomon D. (2013) Filling the Void: Academic Ethics and Secular Medicine (O.V. Artemyeva, Trans.) Ethical Thought. Vol. 13, pp. 30–46 (in Russian).

17. Tolstoy L.N. (1957) The Kingdom of God is Within You. In: Tolstoy L.N. Complete Works in 90 volumes (Vol. 28). Moscow: Khudozhestvennaya literature (in Russian).

18. Wolterstorff N. (2010) Reid on Justice In: S. Roeser (Ed.) Reid on Ethics (pp. 187–203). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave MacMillan.