Wilfrid Sellars
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Wilfrid Sellars | |
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| Born | 20 May 1912 |
| Died | 2 July 1989 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Philosopher |
| Known for | Philosophy of mind; epistemology; critique of the given |
| Notable work | Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind; Science and Metaphysics |
Wilfrid Sellars was a philosopher whose work addressed knowledge, perception, and the relationship between scientific and everyday conceptions of the world. He is known for critical examination of empiricist accounts of experience and for analysis of how conceptual frameworks structure understanding.
His work sought to integrate philosophy of mind, epistemology, and philosophy of science without reducing one domain to another.
Early life and education
Sellars was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He studied philosophy at the University of Michigan and later at Harvard University, completing his doctorate under the supervision of C. I. Lewis.
His academic background included engagement with both analytic philosophy and American pragmatism.
Critique of the given
Sellars is known for rejecting the idea of a “given” foundation of knowledge consisting of raw, non-conceptual experience. He argued that perceptual knowledge is conceptually structured and embedded in normative practices.
These arguments were presented in Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind (1956).
Philosophy of mind
Sellars examined the relationship between mental states and behavior, emphasizing the role of language and conceptual norms. He rejected both sense-datum theories and reductive behaviorism.
His account treated mental vocabulary as part of a broader theoretical framework.
Philosophy of science
Sellars distinguished between the “manifest image” of the world, associated with everyday experience, and the “scientific image,” associated with theoretical science. He examined tensions and relationships between these perspectives.
His work addressed how scientific theories relate to common-sense concepts.
Systematic ambition
Sellars pursued a systematic philosophical project aimed at integrating semantics, epistemology, and metaphysics. He sought coherence across domains rather than isolated solutions to specific problems.
This ambition distinguishes his work from more piecemeal analytic approaches.
Relationship to institutions
Sellars held academic positions at several American universities, including Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh. He taught and published extensively.
He influenced discussion through both formal writing and teaching.
Limits and uncertainty
Sellars’s systematic framework has been criticized for complexity and abstraction. Some critics question whether his integration of normative and scientific perspectives is successful.
Interpretations of his project vary across contexts.
Status
Wilfrid Sellars is regarded as a significant figure in twentieth-century analytic philosophy. His work continues to be discussed in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of science.