Sellars, Wilfrid

"Universals are real, but only as structural patterns exhibited by concrete particulars."

"The concept of truth requires more than mere correspondence to facts; it requires coherence within a whole system of beliefs."

"Science advances by replacing manifest images with increasingly refined theoretical frameworks."

"Freedom and determinism are compatible when properly understood through the lens of our conceptual practices."

"Aesthetic experience is a form of understanding, not merely a feeling or preference."

"The logical structure of our language reflects deep features of human cognitive development."

"Empiricism without conceptual structure is blind; rationalism without empirical constraint is empty."

"Persons have irreducible normative and evaluative properties that cannot be scientifically eliminated."

"The distinction between using a word and mentioning a word is crucial for avoiding confusion about language."

"Intentional states are essentially relational; they are always about something beyond themselves."

"Cultural evolution has given humans the capacity to inhabit multiple overlapping conceptual frameworks."

"Rational agents adjust their beliefs in response to evidence and reasons, not merely causes."

"The problem of other minds is dissolved when we recognize that persons are inherently communicative beings."

"Scientific realism is justified if science provides the best explanation for the systematic success of our theories."

"Normative claims cannot be derived from purely descriptive premises; this is a fundamental logical fact."

"The unity of science is not found in reduction to physics but in systematic coherence of explanation."

"Metaphysical insight comes from careful attention to the logical structure of our concepts."

"Sensory experience is already conceptualized; raw sensation without meaning is a philosophical fiction."

"The categorical imperative requires us to universalize our maxims across all rational agents."

"Language games show us that meaning is a function of how signs are used within systems of practice."

"Truth is a matter of how well our beliefs are integrated into a coherent and comprehensive worldview."

"The scientific method is refined common sense applied with systematic rigor and critical control."

"Human nature is fundamentally historical; we cannot understand ourselves apart from our cultural development."

"Rationality consists in bringing our various beliefs and desires into reflective equilibrium."

"The concept of a person involves the capacity to take responsibility for one's actions and words."

"Aesthetic qualities are genuinely features of objects, though they depend on perceivers for their manifestation."

"Scientific understanding requires integrating empirical discoveries with philosophical analysis of concepts."

"The myth of the given is perhaps the most insidious of all philosophical myths."

"To be in the logical space of reasons is to be a rational agent."

"Knowledge is not a mental painting; it is the ability to move within the space of reasons."