Wilfrid Sellars

Wilfrid Sellars (1912-1989) has been called the most profound and systematic epistemological thinker of the twentieth century. Many of his ideas have become widely acknowledged, including 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."

Notoriously difficult to understand, Sellars' essays are not only complex but were never situated within a unified exposition of his thought.. Willem deVries addresses these difficulties and provides a careful reading and remarkable overview of Sellars' systematic philosophy. This clear, comprehensive, and authoritative work will become the standard point of reference for all philosophers seeking to understand Sellars's hugely significant body of work.

Willem deVries is professor of philosophy, the University of New Hampshire.