Thomas Reid and the Defence of Duty

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James Foster (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology and Director of the Honors Program, University of Sioux Falls)

Thomas Reid and the Defence of Duty

James Foster (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology and Director of the Honors Program, University of Sioux Falls)

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English

Edinburgh University Press
31 December 2025

British & Irish history; Social & cultural history; Western philosophy: Enlightenment; Ethics & moral philosophy

Series: Edinburgh Studies in Scottish Philosophy

Is morality a subjective matter, dependent on our desires and interests, or are there objective moral truths? And if the latter, can we explain the objectivity of morality without appeal to metaphysics, a robust teleology or divine command? This book argues that we find just such an account of moral objectivity in Thomas Reid's Defence of Duty. To make this case, the book provides an explanation of Reid's way of philosophy and his reasons for rejecting moral subjectivism; presents Reid's account of the concept, perception, and motivational force of duty; and responds to contemporary challenges of moral subjectivism and moral pessimism from the perspective of his moral philosophy. Further, this book argues that if Reid is correct, then there is an urgent need to reform current pedagogical practice and return to the teaching of practical ethics.

By: James Foster (Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology and Director of the Honors Program University of Sioux Falls)
Imprint: Edinburgh University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781474455350
ISBN 10: 1474455352
Series: Edinburgh Studies in Scottish Philosophy
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 31 December 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

PrefaceSeries Editor's Introduction Part I: Reid’s Rejection of Moral Subjectivism Chapter 1. Reid’s Way of Philosophy Chapter 2. Reid, Perception and Common Sense Chapter 3. Reid’s Arguments against Moral Subjectivity Part II: Reid’s Account of Duty Chapter 4. Defining Duty Chapter 5. Moral Perception Chapter 6. Moral Motivation Part III: Objections to Reid’s Account Chapter 7. The Argument from Strangeness Chapter 8. The Argument from Relativity Chapter 9. The Argument from Interminability Conclusion: The Practical Implications of Reid’s Defence of DutyWorks CitedIndex

James J.S. Foster is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Theology and Director of the Honors Program at the University of Sioux Falls. His previously published two edited volumes, Scottish Philosophy in America (Imprint Academic, 2012) and Thomas Reid on Religion (Imprint Academic, 2017). He is also the editor of the Journal of Scottish Philosophy.

Reviews for Thomas Reid and the Defence of Duty

An enlightening, valuable, and significant contribution not only to the literature on Reid's moral theory but even more to important issues and debates running through the corpus of modern and contemporary moral theory.--Fotini Vaki, Ionian University ""Eighteenth-Century Scotland"" The central thesis of James Foster's Thomas Reid and the Defence of Duty is that Reid was mostly right -- and Hume mostly wrong -- about the nature of right and wrong. Anyone who dogmatically denies the objectivity of moral distinctions ought to read Foster's book; it is lucid, lively and wise. --Douglas McDermid, Trent University