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Birth and Early Life
Hillary Putnam was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 31, 1926. Putnam attended the University of Pennsylvania and received his bachelor's degree in in Philosophy and Mathematics in 1948. “Hilary Putnam.” Jewish Virtual Library, AICE, 2008, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/putnam-hilary. -
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Life of Hilary Putnam
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Twin Earth Explained
On the Twin Earth, water has a different chemical compound known as XYZ. “Although the beliefs and images associated with the word water on Twin Earth are identical to those associated with water on Earth the term differs in meaning on the two planets because the substance it refers to on Earth differs from the substance it refers to on Twin Earth” (Hilary Putnam (2022)).
“Hilary Putnam.” Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2022, www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam. -
Twin Earth Thought Argument
In 1975, Putnam came up with a thought experiment called “Twin Earth.” The claim of this thought experiment is that words can have the same definition but varying meanings between different individuals, using water as an example. Putnam argued that how the world is described stems from human purpose and how the mind functions. Rowlands, Mark. “Externalism about the Mind.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 10 Dec. 2020, plato.stanford.edu/entries/content-externalism/. -
Putnam's Beliefs
Hilary Putnam contributed to many different aspects of philosophy including philosophy of science, mathematics, logic, and epistemology. Putnam backed the concept of realism in various forms and based much of his work on the concept that knowledge is objective. His works include Philosophy of Logic (1971); Meaning and the Moral Sciences (1978); The Many Faces of Realism (1987); and Realism with a Human Face (1990). -
Twin Earth Video by Carneades.org
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References 2
“Hilary Putnam.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 2022, www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam.
“Hilary Putnam.” Jewish Virtual Library, AICE, 2008, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/putnam-hilary.
Rowlands, Mark, et al. “Externalism about the Mind.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 10 Dec. 2020, plato.stanford.edu/entries/content-externalism/. m. -
Photo References
Goodman, John, and Bruce Webber. Hilary Putnam, an American philosopher known for his broad thinking, vivid arguments and willingness to change his mind.Credit... 17 Mar. 2016. The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/18/arts/hilary-putnam-giant-of-modern-philosophy-dies-at-89.html.
Hilary Putnam. 2023. Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam#/media/1/754947/100531. -
References 1
Carneades.org, director. Twin Earth (Thought Experiment), YouTube, 28 Oct. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE8NL9G_Fq8.
Conant, James. “Realism with a Human Face - Hilary Putnam, James Conant.” Harvard University Press, Harvard University Press, 1 Mar. 1992, www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674749450.
Editor, OUPblog. “Hilary Putnam on Mind and Meanings - Philosopher of the Month (January 2020).” OUPblog, 10 July 2020, blog.oup.com/2020/01/hilary-putnam-on-mind-and-meanings/.