ABSTRACT
Synopsis Reid’s published writings on conception and evidence, which we have now considered, combine a nativist psychology and a common-sense epistemology in an explanatory system. Before proceeding to his theory of action and morality, it will be useful to summarize his theory and consider an apparent inconsistency in his views on conception between the two works. Reid’s theory connected conception and belief, on the one hand, with evidence and justification, on the other. Original perceptions are operations of the mind wherein sensations or physical impressions give rise to original conception and belief concerning the perceived objects as a result of innate principles of our mental faculties. A number of marks are proposed for distinguishing original conceptions from those that are not original. The most important of these are that they occur too early to have been learned, that they are universal among people, and that they are irresistible in everyday life.
