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Thomas Reid, contemporary and philosophical foe of David Hume, was the chief figure in the group of philosophers constituting the Scottish school of common sense. Between 1753 and 1762, Reid delivered four ""Philosophical Orations"" at graduation ceremonies at King's College, Aberdeen. This is the first English translation of those Latin orations, which reveal Reid's philosophical opinions during his formative years.

Reid's influence was strong in America until the middle of the 19th century. Thomas Jefferson was a convert to the commonsense philosophy of Reid and his school, and for the first dozen academic generations after the revolutionary war, American students were steeped in the thought of Reid and his associates. Thus Reid profoundly influenced American political, literary, and philosophical culture. His philosophy served as a cornerstone of American education.