Reinterpreting Sellars in the Light of Brandom, McDowell, and A. D. Smith

: The intent of this paper is to indicate a development in Sellars' writings which points in another direction than the interpretations offered by Brandom, McDowell, and A. D. Smith. Brandom and McDowell have long claimed to preserve central insights of Sellars's theory of perception; howe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of philosophy 2010-12, Vol.18 (4), p.510-538
Main Author: Olsen, Niels Skovgaard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Philosophy
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Summary:: The intent of this paper is to indicate a development in Sellars' writings which points in another direction than the interpretations offered by Brandom, McDowell, and A. D. Smith. Brandom and McDowell have long claimed to preserve central insights of Sellars's theory of perception; however, they disagree over what exactly these insights are. A. D. Smith has launched a critique of Sellars in chapter 2 of his book The Problem of Perception which is so penetrating that it would tear Sellars' philosophy of perception apart if it were adequate. However, I try to show firstly that Brandom's and McDowell's interpretations are unsatisfying when Sellars' late writings are taking into consideration. And secondly that we can give another interpretation of Sellars that is not vulnerable to some of the problems of which Smith accuses Sellars.
ISSN:0966-8373
1468-0378
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-0378.2009.00360.x