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Birth
Hilary Putnam was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 31st, 1926. Hilary Putman was the only child of secular-Jewish parents, Samuel and Riva Putnam. Hilary's father, Samuel, was an active writer/translator, communist, and colonist for the Daily worker newspaper (a communist party-based newspaper in the united states). His mother Riva Putman was a secretary. -
Obtained B.A. in mathematics and philosophy
Hilary Putnam spent most of his childhood in France, before moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his family. This is where Hilary would eventually obtain a B.A. in mathematics and philosophy in 1946. -
Obtained Doctorates at UCLA
Hilary Putnam obtained his doctorate in 1951 at the University of California in Los Angeles. Hilary Putnam worked towards his doctorate under the supervision of german philosopher and logistician Hans Reichenbach. Hans Reichenbach was a leading philosopher of science, a founder of the Berlin circle, and a proponent of logical positivism. -
Married Ruth Ann Hall
On August 11, 1962, Hilary Putnam married philosopher, Ruth Anna Hall, who taught at Wellesley College. They would go on to have 4 children, two daughters and two sons. Hilary and Ruth remained happily married until 2016, when Hilary passed. Ruth would only live on to see 3 short more years without her husband before passing in 2019. -
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Cogan University Professor at Harvard University
Hilary Putman joined the philosophy committee at Harvard university in 1965, where he stayed for 35 years before retiring in 2000. -
Hilary Putman and Realism
Hilary Putman considered metaphysical realism to be "blind to the autonomy and complexity of human language". Particularly, blind to the fact that reality can be perceived and described in many different ways. Putman was committed to realism and even wrote about it in his book "The many faces of realism" -
Death of Hilary Putnam
Hilary Putnam passed in his home in Arlington, Massachusetts, On March 13th, 2016 at 89 years old. His cause of death would be ruled as mesothelioma. Hilary would then be buried at the Crawford Street Cemetery, 776 Baker Street, West Roxbury.