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Hilary Putnam was born
Hilary Putnam was born an only child to Samuel and Riva Putnam in Chicago, Illinois. Putnam, Hilary (1975). Philosophical papers. New York: Cambridge University Press. -
Putnam began his extended education
After graduating in philosophy and mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1948, Putnam began a PhD at Harvard, under Willard Van Orman Quine. He finished it at UCLA in 1951. (Grady, 2016)
Putnam, Hilary (1992). Renewing Philosophy. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. -
Putnam discovers his interest in politics
Putnam became heavily involved in the anti-war movement that opposed the United States' participation in the Vietnam War. He also joined SDS, Students for a Democratic Society
Putnam, Hilary (1960). Minds and Machines. In Sidney Hook (ed.), Dimensions of Minds. New York, USA: New York University Press. pp. 138-164. -
Putnam publishes Minds and Machines
Putnam released Minds and Machines where he disputed Behaviourism. Behaviorism claims that mental states are simply what we do in certain circumstances.
https://youtu.be/i0bky2ep_lI?si=q-Sf5BkcFFvxjfL_ -
The Meaning of Meaning
Putnam concentrated on the Philosophy of Linguistics. He is most known for his classic paper, "The Meaning of 'Meaning'" which construes meanings not as purely mental entities (mental images) but as being anchored in external reality. This is known as "semantic externalism". Also, this serves as a basis for objective account of truth and knowledge and supports the theory "realism" (Ben-Menahem, 2019). -
Brain in a Vat Experiment
Putnam updated Rene Descartes' Evil Demons Problem with his "Brain in a Vat experiment. Putnam discarded Descartes' hypothesis with semantic externalism. He disputed a truth theory that doesn't acknowledge skepticism.
Putnam, Hilary (1981). Reason, truth, and history. New York: Cambridge University Press.