Personal identity: Reid's answer to Hume

Abstract

Reid’s refutation of Locke’s theory of personal identity is well-known, but his critique of Hume’s theory has not been assessed; this, in part because it is less accessible in Reid’s works. However, there is such a critique, one based upon Reid’s broader refutation of the “ideal” theory and his adoption of scientific naturalism. It is far from clear, however, that Hume subscribed to the “ideal” theory as Reid phrased it. Moreover, Hume’s account of personal identity provides greater immunity against the Reidian critique than that possessed by Locke’s thesis. To offer a convincing rebuttal of Hume’s theory, Reid would first have to refute Hume’s account of causation. Reid does not do this in the context of “personal identity.”