Wilfrid Sellars (Philosophy Now)

Wilfrid Sellars (1912-89) has been called "the most profound and systematic epistemological thinker of the twentieth century" (Robert Brandom). He was in many respects ahead of his time, and many of his innovations have become widely acknowledged, for example, his attack on the "myth of the given", his functionalist treatment of intentional states, his proposal that psychological concepts are like theoretical concepts, and his suggestion that attributions of knowledge locate the knower "in the logical space of reasons". However, while many philosophers have begun to acknowledge Sellars's inspiration in their work, their interpretation of his thought has not always been the most accurate. His writings are difficult. Individually, his essays are complex and sometimes rely on doctrines and arguments he put forward elsewhere. Each of his articles is deepened and strengthened by seeing it in its systematic context, but he never wrote a unified exposition of his system, which therefore has to be pieced together from numerous disparate sources. Willem deVries addresses these difficulties specifically and provides a careful reading and remarkable overview of Sellars's systematic philosophy that will become the standard point of reference for all philosophers seeking to understand Sellars's hugely significant body of work. Wilfred Sellars Had Been Called 'the Most Profound & Systematic Epistemological Thinker Of The 20th Century'. He Was In Many Respects Ahead Of His Time, & Many Of His Innovations Have Become Widely Acknowledged. This Title Examines His Thinking. 1. Sellars's Philosophical Enterprise -- 2. Sellars's Philosophy Of Language -- 3. Categories, The A Priori, And Transcendental Philosophy -- 4. Sellars's Nominalism -- 5. Knowledge And The Given -- 6. Science And Reality -- 7. Intentionality And The Mental -- 8. Sensory Consciousness -- 9. Practical Reason -- 10. The Necessity Of The Normative. Willem A. Devries. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [315]-323) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Abbreviations......Page 11 1. Sellars's philosophical enterprise......Page 16 2. Sellars's philosophy of language......Page 38 3. Categories, the a priori, and transcendental philosophy......Page 72 4. Sellars's nominalism......Page 82 5. Knowledge and the given......Page 109 6. Science and reality: induction, laws, theories and the real......Page 157 7. Intentionality and the mental......Page 186 8. Sensory consciousness......Page 218 9. Practical reason......Page 261 10. The necessity of the normative......Page 284 Notes......Page 298 Bibliography......Page 330 Index......Page 340 Annotation It would have been impossible for Willem deVries to leave everyone who grapples with Sellars happy with everything in his book. But within the limits of what is offered only as an introduction, he has done an extraordinarily good job of explaining this major thinker