Perceiving Design? Reid's Design Discourse

Thomas Reid, I argue in this paper, holds that the belief that the works of nature are the effects of an intelligent cause is an instinctive or natural belief that may also be rational. After presenting the details of Reid's design argument, I turn to his account of human perception of the inne...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the history of philosophy 2024-04, Vol.62 (2), p.239-262
Main Author: Kroeker, Esther Engels
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beliefs
Cognition & reasoning
Design
Facial expressions
Hume, David (1711-1776)
Intelligence
Mental states
Perceptions
Reid, Thomas
Wisdom
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Summary:Thomas Reid, I argue in this paper, holds that the belief that the works of nature are the effects of an intelligent cause is an instinctive or natural belief that may also be rational. After presenting the details of Reid's design argument, I turn to his account of human perception of the inner states of other human beings. I argue that perceptual beliefs of inner states, and hence beliefs in mental qualities such as intelligence and wisdom, involve natural signs that are both instinctive and rational. Natural signs of this sort include behaviors, artifacts, or facial expressions, which lead to belief in intelligence or design in a mind. These natural instinctive/rational beliefs are of the same kind as those that arise when one considers order in nature, and they receive support both from a general principle about causal inferences, and from the conclusion of a design argument.
ISSN:0022-5053
1538-4586
1538-4586
DOI:10.1353/hph.2024.a925519