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Birth
Hilary Putnam was born in Chicago, IL though spent a lot of his childhood in France while his father, Samuel Putnam worked for the Communist Party. This was until 1934 when Hilary and his family settled back into the United States in Philadelphia.2 -
Anti-War
This was the time in which the United States was involved in the Vietnam war. Putnam was greatly involved with the anti-war movement and was highly against the U.S. involvement. During this time Putnam was a member of the Progressive Labor Party, though eventually became disillusioned with their views and turned to his Jewish heritage.1 -
Ever-changing Realism
All of Hilary Putnam's views can be seen with an underlying theme: realism. Which is the stance on which views are either true or false. Putnam was known for being very critical of himself and his philosophical stances. His most well known change was in 1976, where metaphysical realism was replaced with internal realism, which was then also modified in a later time.1 -
Brain in a Vat
The "brain in a vat" argument is one that suggests that we do not know if we are just brains suspended in a vat of fluid, hooked up to a monitor and constantly being fed information that is giving us the perception that we are real. Putnam disagreed with this kind of skepticism and argued that it is impossible for "man to have God's eye of reality".2 https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/wi-phi/wiphi-metaphysics-epistemology/wiphi-theory-of-knowledge/v/problem-of-skepticism -
Death
Hilary Putnam died in his home in Arlington, Massachusetts from mesothelioma, lung cancer, in 2016. He was 89 years old.2
