Reid on Belief in Perception: A Developmental Account

The role of belief in Thomas Reid’s theory of perception has been subject to competing interpretations. A new argument in favor of the constituent interpretation, according to which the belief in perception is a literal part of perceptual experience, is advanced here. The constituent interpretation best accommodates the presentational (as opposed to verdictive) nature of the belief in perception, on Reid’s view. Reid’s remarks on the solitary person generate a theory of enculturation that explains why Reid hesitates to ascribe beliefs to human infants and non-human animals. Given that theory, Reid should be interpreted as doubting that infants and animals have verdictive beliefs, rather than presentational beliefs or beliefs in general.