ABSTRACT
This chapter will contain a capsule account of Reid’s life, his philosophy, and the plan of this book. His life is recounted in a book bearing his name as title by A. Campbell Fraser in 1898 with such admirable taste and scholarship that, rather than repeating what Fraser has said, I simply recommend Fraser to the reader. Though out of print, the book is by no means rare and may be readily secured. Thomas Reid was born in Strachan on 26 April 1710. He lived until 7 October 1796. There are many who would find the history of his life uneventful, and, in terms of outward events, it was. His inner life, his intellectual, moral, and spiritual life, by contrast, was filled with the riches and satisfactions of a man interested in philosophy and morals. He sought neither fame nor fortune but dedicated himself to science and philosophy, to God, and to his fellow human beings. The results of his quiet labours are the works of a great philosopher.
