Identifying and Reconciling Two Images of “Man”

  • David Hodgson Recently retired as a Judge of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, Australia
Keywords: Wilfred Sellars, manifest image, scientific image

Abstract

Fifty years ago the philosopher Wilfred Sellars identified two images of “man”, which he called respectively the “manifest image” and the “scientific image”; and he considered whether and how these two images could be reconciled. In this paper, I will very briefly look at the distinction drawn by Sellars and at his suggestions for reconciliation of these images. I will suggest that a broad distinction as suggested by Sellars can indeed usefully be drawn, but that the distinction can be more helpfully characterised than it was by Sellars. I will argue that there are more ways of reconciling the two images than those proposed by Sellars. And I will elaborate on what I think are the most promising lines along which the reconciliation could take place.

Published
2012-05-02
How to Cite
Hodgson, D. (2012). Identifying and Reconciling Two Images of “Man”. HUMANA.MENTE Journal of Philosophical Studies, 5(21), 45-56. Retrieved from https://www.humanamente.eu/index.php/HM/article/view/181