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Hilary was born in July of 1926 to Secular Jewish parents. His father wrote for a paper also wrote to support communism. He was an only child.
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Hilary attended University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate work. Then he received his Ph.D from UCLA. He studied philosophy.
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Hilary worked with Martin Davis and Julia Robinson to provide the basis that the Diophantine equation was not solvable. This problem is one of the 23 unsolved problems in mathematics found by David Hilbert. Ben-Menahem, Yemima. “Hilary Putnam | American Philosopher.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam#ref323608. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.
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Hilary taught at Northwestern University 1951-1952. Then he went to Harvard from 1953-1961. Here he was a professor for both philosophy and math. Then he taught at MIT from 1961-1965. Through his career, he influenced philosophy of mind, math, and science. “Hilary Putnam.” Department of Philosophy, philosophy.fas.harvard.edu/people/hilary-putnam. Accessed 6 Dec. 2020.
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Hilary was always re-evaluating his beliefs. He was known for frequently changing his mind and re-evaluating his positions. One major time that he changed his mind was in 1976, when he wrote a paper in 1975, "The Meaning of Meaning" where he describes the meaning not as just a mental image but having an outside truth.
Ben-Menahem, Yemima. “Hilary Putnam | American Philosopher.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam#ref323608. Accessed 7 Dec. 2020. -
This is a video where Hilary discusses the difference between value and facts as well as how the perspective of science being very narrow is not realistic. He also discusses that there is not just one scientific method. Philosophy Overdose. “Hilary Putnam on Science (Short Clip).” YouTube, uploaded by Philosophy Overdose, 11 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4HQZrOeZ7E.
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Hilary wrote this book, that evaluated different religious ideas of 3 Jewish thinkers. It is fitting that at this time in his life he came back to evaluate his religious views and the potential of those view coinciding with his scientific views. Putnam, Hilary. Jewish Philosophy as a Guide to Life: Rosenzweig, Buber, Levinas, Wittgenstein. The Helen and Martin Schwartz Lectures in Jewish Studies. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2008.
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This book encompasses all of Putnam's work and papers. One great thing about this book is Putnam's ability to link the various disciplines. Putnam, Hilary. Philosophy in an Age of Science: Physics, Mathematics, and Skepticism. Edited by Mario de Caro and David Macarthur. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012.
