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Birth
Born in Chicago, Illinois. He was the only child of Samuel and Riva Putnam -
Hans Riechenbach
He studied under Hans Reichenbach early in his career, but argued against his theory of logical positivism. He argued "that if successful scientific theories are not understood as describing an independently existing reality, their success is impossible to explain." (Ben-Menahem) During this time he also wrote his dissertation on the concept of probability. -
Twin Earth
A thought experiment meant to show that "Different speakers can associate a word with identical beliefs and mental images, or even with the same definition, and yet diverge in the meanings they ascribe to it"(Ben-Menahem) -
Realism Difference
"...he launched an attack on the view he called “metaphysical realism,” recommending that “internal realism” be adopted in its stead"(Ben-Menahem) -
Concept of Science
Hilary Putnam's thoughts on Science https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4HQZrOeZ7E -
Major Works
Below is a complete list of his writings, both books and short writings, complied by John R. Shook
http://pragmatism.org/putnam/putnam_bibliography.pdf -
Death
He died in his home in Arlington, Massachusetts at the age of 89. The cause is believed to be metastasized mesothelioma.
