ABSTRACT
Sellars's treatment of sensory consciousness is a culminating episode in his philosophy: many different lines of his thought come together in a position that is unique to him, both bold and puzzling. This chapter begins with two myths to introduce the issues and then tries to clarify Sellars's commitments and his arguments by analysing several significant passages from Sellars's later works. The mythical part of the sensoriumbody problem has an unclear relationship to the myth of Jones. Sellars considers how Jonesian impressions might relate to further developments in the scientific image. He rejects any straightforward identification of Jonesian impressions with neurophysiological states, warning us against mixing: the framework of molar behaviour theory with the framework of the micro-theory of physical objects. The notion of absolute processes is intriguing yet puzzling. But there are solid achievements in Sellars's treatment of the sensory that should be taken to heart.
