The Space of Reasons 2007-10-16

Shopping for an Efficient Cause (Part 1)

I am continuing my series of posts on Thomas Reid. Let us recap Reid’s Shop Argument: Reason, says the sceptic, is the only judge of truth, and you ought to throw off every opinion and every belief that is not grounded on reason. Why, sir, should I believe the faculty of reason more than that of perception?—they came both out of the same shop, and were made by the same artist; and if he puts one piece of false ware into my hands, what should hinder him from putting another?This argument can be broken down into three steps: 1. Reason and the senses both come from the same shop. (premise)2. That two things come from the same shop implies they are equally reliable. (premise)3. Reason and the sense are equally reliable. (From 1 and 2) Given that reason and the ...

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