Jonathan EmmesediWilfrid Sellars (1912 - 1989) is not well known outside university departments of philosophy.
His writings have nevertheless exercised an important influence on better known figures such as Richard Rorty and Daniel Dennett. In addition, he is regarded as a key figure in the development of that school of thought known as scientific realism.
I'll be honest and admit that he isn't always the easiest of writers to understand. This overview of his own approach to philosophy is one of his more accessible pieces:
