"5 2 Philosophy of the Human Mind. 



to substitute any theory of his own in its place. 

 Indeed it would have been inconsistent with his 

 leading doctrine to have attempted this. His aim 

 rather was, to give a simple and precise statement 

 of facts, divested of all theoretical expressions; to 

 show how long philosophers have imposed on 

 themselves by principles gratuitously assumed, and 

 by words without meaning; and to convince them, 

 that " with respect to the process of nature in 

 perception, they are no less ignorant than the vul- 

 gar." Nor let any slight thk^as a mere negative 

 and unimportant discovery, ft it be founded in 

 truth, " few positive discoveries in the whole his- 

 tory of science can be mentioned, which have a 

 juster claim to high reputation, than that which 

 has detected, so clearly and unanswerably, the 

 fallacy of an hypothesis, which has descended to us 

 from the earliest ages of philosophy, and which, 

 in modern times, has not only served to Berke- 

 ley and Hume, as the basis of their sceptical sys- 

 tems, but was adopted as an indisputable truth 

 by Locke, by Clarke, and by Newton. " f 



It ought in justice to be stated, that Dr. Reil>, 

 however great his merit for illustrating and de- 

 fending the doctrine of Common Sense, as taught 

 in his metaphysical writings, was by no means the 

 first who resorted to this method of opposing the. 

 sceptical philosophy of the age. Father Buffief, 

 a learned and ingenious Jesuit, of France, early in 

 the century, espoused a, doctrine substantially the 



/ Elements of the Pliloscphy of Mind ', by DlJGALD STEWART, F. R. S. E. 

 &c. p. 94, 4to. 1792. In adopting, from Professor Stewart, this high 

 praise of Dr. Reid, and his writings on the human mind, I would by no 

 means be understood to express unqualified approbation of his philosophy. 

 To me his Essays m the Active Pczuers of Man have always appeared 

 much inferior to those on the Intellectual Pavers. Indeed, in the former 

 there are several doctrines which I must consider as entirely erroneous. 

 But cf thus guarding and qualifying one's approbation there is no end. 

 Speaking of Dr. Re id's workb in general, they are certainly among the 

 most instructive and valuable metaphyseal writings of the age. 



