The 1956 publication of Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind marked a significant shift in analytic thought by challenging foundationalist epistemology. Wilfrid Sellars, who served in military intelligence during World War II, spent his career synthesizing diverse intellectual traditions including American pragmatism, logical positivism, and German idealism to bridge the gap between human intuition and physical reality.
Academic Formation and Early Career
Born in Michigan in 1912, Sellars pursued an extensive education across several institutions, including the University of Michigan, the University at Buffalo, and the University of Göttingen. He attended Oriel College as a Rhodes Scholar from 1934 to 1937, eventually earning his MA in 1940. His teaching career began at the University of Iowa, where he held a post from 1938 until 1946. Subsequently, he held faculty positions at the University of Minnesota and Yale University.
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Sellars is best known for his aim to reconcile the manifest image—the way humans intuitively perceive the world—with the scientific image derived from physical theories. In his 1962 work, Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man, he argued that while the manifest image contains moral and practical claims, the scientific image ultimately takes precedence in empirical descriptions. He sought a synoptic vision that could integrate these conflicting accounts of reality.
Conceptual Frameworks
Central to his critique of foundationalism was his rejection of what he termed the Myth of the Given, the belief that perceptual knowledge can exist independently of conceptual capacities. To address this, he introduced the space of reasons, a concept distinguishing epistemic justification from physical causality. His 1966 John Locke Lectures, later published as Science and Metaphysics: Variations on Kantian Themes, further demonstrated his engagement with Kantian thought.
Tenure at Pittsburgh
In 1963, Sellars joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, where he remained until his death in 1989. During his time there, he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and delivered the Carus Lectures in 1977. He also served as president of the Metaphysical Society of America in 1977 and was a founder of the journal Philosophical Studies.
Fast facts
- Born: 1912, Michigan
- Died: 1989, Pittsburgh
- Education: University of Michigan, University at Buffalo, Oriel College, University of Göttingen
- Rhodes Scholarship: 1934
- Academic appointments: University of Iowa, University of Minnesota, Yale University, University of Pittsburgh
- Professional society: Metaphysical Society of America (President, 1977)
- Notable work: Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind (1956)
- Membership: American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Questions readers ask
What is the Myth of the Given?
It is Sellars's term for the foundationalist view that perceptual knowledge can be independent of the conceptual capacities involved in perception.
How did he distinguish between images of the world?
He separated the manifest image, which deals with common-sense intentions and appearances, from the scientific image, which describes reality through physical science.
Achievements
- Held posts at University of Pittsburgh, University of Iowa and University of Minnesota
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