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Hilary Putnam's Birth
Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. -
Putnam's Twin Earth Thought Experiment
Before I explain what this experiment entails, I am going to delve into the meaning of externalism. Externalism is a philosophy of mind; our thoughts and feelings are shaped by the environment around us. Putnam created a thought experiment where he imagines a Twin Earth. For example, on my version of Earth, water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen molecules. It may taste the same as the water on Twin Earth, but there it may be composed of different elements. -
Twin Earth Thought Experiment's Referrence
Putnam, Hilary, 1975, “The Meaning of ‘Meaning’”, Philosophical Papers, Vol. II: Mind, Language, and Reality, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press -
Putnam's Model-Theoretic Argument
Putnam made the model-theoretic argument. He described those physical facts like the word "cat" does not only apply to all cats, but it may apply to cherries. To explain it even further, a physical fact can be described by multiple theories. This pose challenges to the meaning of a single description of the world. -
The Model-Theoretic Argument Referrence.
Putnam, Hilary. "Realism and Reason." Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, vol. 50, no. 6, 1977, pp. 483-498. Monograph Collection (Matt - Pseudo), https://doi.org/10.2307/3129784. -
Putnam's Internal Realism
Putnam's internal realism, also called pragmatic realism, mixes daily common sense with logical thinking. He believes our thoughts and values are connected and denies the idea that science can explain everything. He also criticizes reductionism and naturalism, emphasizing the importance of other forms of knowledge. -
Internal Realism Referrence
Ben-Menahem, Yemima. Internal realism. Putnam, Hilary (1926–2016), 1998, doi:10.4324/9780415249126-Q117-1. Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Taylor and Francis, https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/biographical/putnam-hilary-1926-2016/v-1/sections/internal-realism. -
Pragmatic Turn Referrence
Bernstein RJ. The Pragmatic Turn: The Entanglement of Fact and Value. In: Ben-Menahem Y, ed. Hilary Putnam. Contemporary Philosophy in Focus. Cambridge University Press; 2005:251-266. -
Pragmatic Turn
Putnam had a "pragmatic turn", combining ideas from pragmatism into his philosophy. He focused on the effects of beliefs and the connection between facts and values. Putnam's pragmatic view focused to unify scientific and moral reasoning, emphasizing that both are ingrained in human practices and should be considered as unified. -
Hilary Putnam's Death
Died and buried in Arlington, Massachusetts.