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Birth
Born July 31st, 1926 -
Philosophy of Mind
Putnam publishes papers in 1960's to set out the hypothesis of multiple realizability. He argues that pain may correspond to utterly different physical states of the nervous system in different organisms, and yet they all experience the same mental state of "being in pain". -
Philosophy of Computer Science
Putnam is known for the Davis-Putnam algorithm for the Boolean satisfiability problem (SAT). The algorithm finds if there is a set of true or false values that satisfies a given Boolean expression so that the entire expression is true. This became known as the DPLL algorithm. -
The Meaning of Meaning
Putnam publishes papers on his claims that "meaning just aint in the head". He uses his famous "Twin Earth" thought experiment to illustrate that the meaning of terms are determined by factors outside of the mind
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=twin+earth+thought+experiment&&view=detail&mid=345C7C6D2944FC6E6F3B345C7C6D2944FC6E6F3B&&FORM=VRDGAR -
Hilary Putnam Interview
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Epistemology
In the field of epistemology, Putnam was known for the critique of "brain in a vat" thought experiment. Putnam challenged its validity and equally scrutinized his own positions leading to a mixed reputation in the scientific community. -
Death
Dies March 13, 2016