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Wilfrid Sellars’ critique of sense data theories

shayan hamraz

Autor
shayan hamraz
Revista
Perspectivas
Edição
11 / 1
Ano
2026
DOI
10.20873/rpv11n1-52
Páginas
18-37
Idioma
en
2026shayan hamraz. Wilfrid Sellars’ critique of sense data theories. Perspectivas, v. 11, n. 1, p. 18-37, 2026.4

Sellars criticized the sense-datum theory as a form of 'the Myth of the Given' in the first and second parts of his article 'Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind'. In the present article, only his criticisms in the first part have been examined. He presented two critiques of sense data theory. At the end, I have concluded that both of his criticisms contain multiple flaws. He overlooked one possible logical alternative, misinterpreted Russell's 'knowledge by acquaintance', categorized sense-datum theory under the Myth of the Given, and erroneously presumed that this theory must endorse all six propositions he listed and that sense contents cannot justify beliefs without implicating them. His objections ultimately lack the force he claims.