The Scottish School of Common Sense

The Scottish School of Common Sense was an 18th-century philosophical movement emphasizing the idea that human reason and natural instincts provide us with inherent, trustworthy knowledge about the world. Thinkers like Thomas Reid argued that our perceptions and common sense beliefs—such as trust in our senses and understanding—serve as reliable foundations for knowledge, countering skepticism and overly abstract reasoning. This approach highlights the importance of everyday experience and intuition in forming justified beliefs, promoting a pragmatic view that our natural capacities are sufficient for understanding reality.