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</p><p><b>Roderick Firth</b> (January 30, 1917 – December 22, 1987)<sup id="cite_ref-nyt_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nyt-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> was an American philosopher. He was Professor of Philosophy at <a href="Harvard_University" title="Harvard University">Harvard University</a> from 1953 until his death.<sup id="cite_ref-nyt_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nyt-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Education">Education</h2></div>

<p>Firth earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from <a href="Harvard" class="mw-redirect" title="Harvard">Harvard</a> in 1943. His thesis was entitled <i>Sense-Data and the Principle of Reduction</i>.

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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Career">Career</h2></div>

<p>He taught at <a href="Brown_University" title="Brown University">Brown University</a> before joining the Harvard faculty in 1953.<sup id="cite_ref-nyt_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nyt-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

</p><p>Firth is noted for his defense of the <a href="Ideal_observer_theory" title="Ideal observer theory">ideal observer theory</a> in ethics<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and for his exploration of <a href="Radical_empiricism" title="Radical empiricism">radical empiricism</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Firth also defended a form of <a href="Semantic_holism" title="Semantic holism">semantic holism</a> which he referred to as a "coherence theory of concepts" distinct from both the <a href="Coherence_theory_of_truth" title="Coherence theory of truth">coherence theory of truth</a> and <a href="Coherence_theory_of_justification" class="mw-redirect" title="Coherence theory of justification">coherence theory of justification</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Firth debated his views on the nature of concept formation and <a href="Epistemic_privilege" title="Epistemic privilege">epistemic privilege</a> with <a href="Wilfrid_Sellars" title="Wilfrid Sellars">Wilfrid Sellars</a> against whom he defended the views of <a href="C._I._Lewis" title="C. I. Lewis">C. I. Lewis</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

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<ul><li><a href="Phenomenalism" title="Phenomenalism">Phenomenalism</a></li></ul>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

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</style><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/27/obituaries/roderick-firth-philosophy-professor-70.html">"Roderick Firth, Philosophy Professor, 70"</a>. <i><a href="The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i>. December 27, 1987. p. 136.</cite></span>

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<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFFirth1952" class="citation journal cs1">Firth, Roderick (March 1952). "Ethical Absolutism and the Ideal Observer". <i>Philosophy and Phenomenological Research</i>. <b>12</b> (3): <span class="nowrap">317–</span>345. <a href="Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2307%2F2103988">10.2307/2103988</a>. <a href="JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2103988">2103988</a>.</cite></span>

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<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">1964 <i>Journal of Philosophy</i> 61 (19):545-557.</span>

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<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Firth, R. (1964). Coherence, Certainty, and Epistemic Priority. The Journal of Philosophy, 61(19), 545-557.</span>

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<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Sellars, W. (1981). Foundations for a metaphysics of pure process: The Carus lectures of Wilfrid Sellars. The Monist, 64(1).</span>

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<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Firth, R. (1981). Reply to Sellars. The Monist, 64(1), 91-101.</span>

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