Abstract
In the Essays on the Active Powers of Man V. 7, Thomas Reid seeks to show “[t]hat
moral approbation implies a real judgment,” contrasting this thesis with the view that moral
approbation is no more than a feeling. Unfortunately, his criticism of moral sentimentalism
systematically conflates two different metaethical views: non-cognitivism about moral thought
and subjectivism about moral properties. However, if we properly disentangle the various parts
of Reid's discussion, we can isolate pertinent arguments against each of these views. Some of
these arguments, such as the argument from disagreement and the argument from implausible
counterfactuals against subjectivism, or the transparency argument against non-cognitivism, still
have important roles to play in contemporary metaethics.