Abstract

Wilfrid Sellars is a complex American philosopher of many historic influences and of wide philosophic interests. He is an author of nearly one hundred extensive articles, but it is problematic whether he is merely an eclectic writer of essays on an unrelated smorgasbord of ideas or whether he is a systematic philosopher with an underlying scheme and overall unity of thought. ;This dissertation provides a depth analysis of Sellarsian thought, with an illustrative and critical examination of his approach to the mind-body problem. Two major routes are used, one analyzes his theory of language and the other examines his notion of scientific explanation. The result shows that Sellars does have a consistent methodology and a unified philosophy. Furthermore, the unravelling of Sellars' brand of scientific realism reveals a solution to the mind-body problem that is of significant interest in itself. The first chapter identifies and defines the nature of the mind-body problem for Sellars, showing that he perceives the problem a symptom of an ailing philosophy, something proper methodology should cure. This explanation reveals that the problem and its solution are central to all of Sellars' philosophy. ;Since a proper methodology, which would dissolve pseudoproblems and clarify other conceptual areas, depends upon a correct understanding of language for Sellars, the second chapter deals with Sellars' early analysis of language, including his notions of an ideal empirical language and of meta-linguistic principles as well as the correlated notions of verification and confirmation of propositions within the language. ;Sellars' analysis of language does not however remain aloft in the realm of an abstract calculus. Chapter three explores Sellars' understanding of living languages in light of the technical analysis of the previous chapter. His unique development of dot-quotes, his insight into meaning as role and his approach to intentionality are among the interrelated themes identified. ;Chapter four uses these developed concepts of Sellars' philosophy of language to illuminate his related conception of theoretical explanation. The issue of analogical explanation, most important for Sellars' philosophy, is shown to have direct bearing on his solution to the mind-body problem. Sellars' interwoven ideas concerning ontology, theoretical entities and conceptual change are also met. ;The groundwork laid, the fifth chapter presents Sellars' solution to the mind-body problem, centering on the treatment of thoughts as theoretical entities within a scientific explanation. As with much of Sellars' work, a direction is offered more than a completed solution. But if the problem is solvable in theory, then it is maintained, the problem will have been solved in fact. ;The final chapter presents a summary and critical evaluation of Sellars' position. The summary emphasizes the Sellarsian methodology as it focused on the mind-body problem. Critically, it shows that he does indeed have a coherent philosophy, although his notion of intentionality requires some further development.