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Hilary Putnam Is Born
Born in Chicago, Illinois to Samuel and Riva Putnam. Hilary was their only child."His father, Samuel Putnam, was a well-known author and translator. Putnam's parents lived in France until 1934, and then in Philadelphia, where he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania." (“Hilary Putnam”) Hilary's mother was Jewish. -
Receives Ph.D. from UCLA
"Attended graduate school in philosophy at Harvard University and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA he wrote a dissertation, under Hans Reichenbach, on the concept of probability, obtaining a Ph.D. in 1951." (Ben-Menahem) Prior to attending UCLA, Putnam studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. -
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Taught at Northeastern
"The unifying theme of Putnam’s philosophy is his defense of realism, the view that, ordinarily, assertions (including theories, beliefs, and so on) are objectively true or false. Putnam, like most realists, also upheld the possibility of knowledge, distinguishing between knowledge and mere belief, convention, dogma, and superstition." (Ben-Menahem) -
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Taught at Princeton University
Putnam contributed the doctrine of Functionalism. Functionalism is referred to as "Machine Functionalism". Functionalism helps explain mental states and how their practical roles are respective to other mental behaviors. Putnam believed that the human brain and mentality were similar to computers. He associated the human brain is the hardware and the mind was the software. -
Received tenure in both the Department of Philosophy and the Department of Mathematics in 1960
"During the 1960s Putnam was deeply involved in the antiwar movement that opposed U.S. participation in the Vietnam War."(Ben-Menahem) "In the philosophy of science, Putnam subscribed to scientific realism, the belief that theoretical claims of science are to be taken as describing reality – that science aims to produce true descriptions of things in the universe." (Boruah) -
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Taught at M.I.T
Putnam wrote many different books regarding his thoughts on philosophy, realism, ethics, Jewish philosophy, representation and reality, and pragmatism. -
Hilary and Ruth Anna Marry
Hilary and Ruth Anna were married on August 11th, 1962. -
Joined Harvard Faculty
"American philosopher who made major contributions to metaphysics, epistemology, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of language, the philosophy of science, the philosophy of mathematics, and the philosophy of logic."(Ben-Menahem) -
Cogan University Professor at Harvard University
"Putnam was well-known for his breadth of thinking, so much so that he is compared with the versatility of Aristotle." (Boruah) -
Hilary Putnam Dies
Hilary Putnam died in Arlington Massachusetts at the age of 89. Putnam is survived by his wife Ruth Anna, his four children, and four granddaughters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et8kDNF_nEc
