Wilfrid Sellars, idealism, and realism: understanding psychological nominalism PDF
Preview Wilfrid Sellars, idealism, and realism: understanding psychological nominalism
Wilfrid Sellars, Idealism, and Realism i Also available from Bloomsbury A Critical Introduction to Scientifi c Realism, Paul Dicken Evidentialism and the Will to Believe, Scott F. Aikin Humanism and Embodiment, Susan E. Babbitt ii Wilfrid Sellars, Idealism, and Realism Understanding Psychological Nominalism Edited by Patrick J. Reider Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc LONDON • OXFORD • NEW YORK • NEW DELHI • SYDNEY iii Bloomsbury Academic An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square 1385 Broadway London New York WC 1B 3 DP NY 10018 UK USA www.bloomsbury.com BLOOMSBURY and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published 2017 © Patrick J. Reider and Contributors, 2017 Patrick J. Redier has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identifi ed as the Editor of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or the editor. British Library Cataloguing-i n-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN : HB : 978-1-4742-3893-9 e PDF : 978-1-4742-3895-3 ePub: 978-1-4742-3894-6 Library of Congress Cataloging-i n-Publication Data Names: Reider, Patrick J., 1974– editor. Title: Wilfrid Sellars, idealism and realism : understanding psychological nominalism / edited by Patrick J. Reider. Description: New York : Bloomsbury, 2016. | Includes index. Identifi ers: LCCN 2016029679 (print) | LCCN 2016034170 (ebook) | ISBN 9781474238939 (hardback) | ISBN 9781474238953 (epdf) | ISBN 9781474238946 (epub) Subjects: LCSH: Sellars, Wilfrid. | Nominalism. | Realism. | Idealism. Classifi cation: LCC B945.S444 W55 2016 (print) | LCC B945.S444 (ebook) | DDC 191—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016029679 Typeset by Refi neCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk iv To my mom and dad and the lessons they taught me v vi Contents Abbreviations of Sellars’ Texts viii Introduction: Psychological Nominalism and German Idealism Patrick J. Reider, University of Pittsburgh, USA 1 Part 1 Psychological Nominalism and Realism 1 “Psychological Nominalism” and the Given, from Abstract Entities to Animal Minds James R. O’Shea, University College Dublin, Ireland 19 2 Hegel and Sellars’ “Myth of Jones”: Can Sellars Have More in Common With Hegel than Rorty and Brandom Suggest? Paul Redding, University of Sydney, Australia 41 3 Th e Metaphysics of Sensation: Psychological Nominalism and the Reality of Consciousness Ray Brassier, American University of Beirut, Lebanon 59 4 Language, Norms, and Linguistic Norms Willem deVries, University of New Hampshire, USA 83 Part 2 Psychological Nominalism and Idealism 5 On the Pittsburgh School, Kant, Hegel, and Realism Tom Rockmore, Peking University, China 103 6 Reading Sellars’ “Philosophy and the Scientifi c Image of Man,” with Robert Brandom at One’s Side Joseph Margolis, Temple University, USA 121 7 A Kantian Critique of Sellars’ Transcendental Realism Johannes Haag, Universität Potsdam, Germany 149 8 Psychological Nominalism and Conceptual Relativism: An Idealist’s Take Patrick J. Reider, University of Pittsburgh, USA 173 Index 195 vii Abbreviations of Sellars’ Texts BBK “Being and Being Known” in S cience, Perception and Reality BLM “Behaviorism, Language and Meaning” CE “Th e Concept of Emergence” CIL “ Concepts as Involving Laws and Inconceivable without Th em” EAE “Empiricism and Abstract Entities” EPM “Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind” FMPP “Foundations for a Metaphysics of Pure Process” IKTE “Th e Role of Imagination in Kant’s Th eory of Experience” ISR In the Space of Reasons: Selected Essays of Wilfrid Sellars KTE “Some Remarks on Kant’s Th eory of Experience” KTI “Kant’s Transcendental Idealism” LCP “On Th e Logic of Complex Particulars” LTC “Language as Th ought and as Communication” ME Th e Metaphysics of Epistemology MEV Philosophical Studies 39: 325–45 NO N aturalism and Ontology PH “Phenomenalism” PSMI “Philosophy and the Scientifi c Image of Man” SK “Th e Structure of Knowledge: (1) Perception; (2) Minds; (3) Epistemic Principles” SM Science and Metaphysics: Variations on Kantian Th emes SPR Science, Perception and Reality SRI “Scientifi c Realism or Irenic Instrumentalism: A Critique of Nagel and Feyerabend on Th eoretical Explanation” SRLG “Some Refl ections on Language Games” SRPC “Some Refl ections on Perceptual Consciousness” SSIS “ Science, Sense Impressions, and Sensa: A Reply to Cornman” SSOP “Sensa or Sensings: Refl ections on the Ontology of Perception” TC “Truth and Correspondence” TTC “Towards a Th eory of the Categories” viii Introduction: Psychological Nominalism and German Idealism Patrick J. Reider , University of Pittsburgh ( USA ) Th is volume is the fi rst study of its kind to address a range of realist and idealist views inspired by psychological nominalism. Bringing together premier analytic realists and distinguished defenders of German idealism, it reveals why psychological nominalism is one of the most important theories of the mind to come out the twentieth century. Although wedded to important aspects of German idealism, Sellars’ theory is couched in bold scientifi c realist terms of the analytic tradition. Th ose who are sympathetic to German idealism fi nd his realist’s appropriation of idealism problematic. W ilfrid Sellars, Idealism and Realism thus creates a rare venue for realists and idealists to debate the epistemic outcome of the mental processes they both claim are essential to experience. Th eir resulting discussion bridges the gap between analytic and continental philosophy. Nominalism, realism, and a logical space To understand “psychological nominalism” and what is at stake in this theory, one should keep in mind two opposing views: “nominalism” and the specifi c form of “realism” it rejects. 1 Nominalism is a countermovement against “realists,” who claim that universals exist independent of the human mind. In opposition to the realists, nominalists argue that universals are c reated by and inseparable from the human mind. Psychological nominalism is a sophisticated and linguistically centered version of nominalism. One important aspect of the debate between nominalists and realists concerns the source of human understanding. For instance, in the following excerpt, Michael Loux explains the manner in which the activity of sorting, classifying, and grouping entities together requires the functional use of universals. In this regard, universals play an essential role in our rational thoughts and cognitive experiences: 1
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