Thomas Reid (1710 96), the Scottish natural and moral philosopher, was one of the founding members of the Aberdeen Philosophical Society and a significant figure in the Scottish Enlightenment. Reid believed that common sense should form the foundation of all philosophical inquiry. He criticised the sceptical philosophy propagated by his fellow Scot David Hume and the Anglo-Irish bishop George Berkeley, who asserted that the external world did not exist outside the human mind. Reid was also critical of the theory of ideas propagated by Locke and Descartes, arguing that it was incompatible with...

Thomas Reid's Inquiry is recognised as a classical philosophical text with over 40 editions since it first appeared in 1764. This volume provides a complete, critically edited text of the Inquiry, together with a selection of related documents showing the development of Reid's thought. Textual notes, bibliographical details if previous editions, and a scholarly introduction are included in this contribution to the study of this philosopher.