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Born
Chicago, Illinois -
Education
Studied at the University of Pensilvania for mathematics and philosophy. He obtained his Ph.D at UCLA in 1951. -
Twin Earth
Putnam's thought experiment best explained through Baghramain, "Imagine a planet exactly like Earth with the difference that what tastes, smells, behaves like water has a completely different chemical composition, aims to elicit the intuition that the meaning of words such as ‘water’ largely depends on how things are in the natural and social world and not on our thoughts and beliefs about it. Meanings, he tells us, simply are not ‘in the head’" (Baghramian 2016). -
The Meaning of Meaning
Putnam writes his paper stating that the theory of truth and meaning are inherently interconnected. Putnam states that meaning are neither purely mental or conceptual constructs but anchored in external reality. This concept also known as semantic externalism is what serves as a bias for truth and knowledge. -
First Claim to the Relativist Argument
- Theories grounded in different paradigms can refer to the same entities. The connection between a scientific term and the entity to which it refers is established by causal chains of prior uses of the term and by social practices such as pointing, moving, and weighing, rather than by definitions, descriptions, or mental images. This claim rebuts the incommensurability argument.
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Second Claim to the Relativist Argument
Different speakers can associate a word with identical beliefs and mental images, or even with the same definition, and yet diverge in the meanings they ascribe to it. Putnam used his "Twin Earth" thought experiment to prove this. -
Striking Insight
Putnam believed that metaphysical realism and skepticism are equally vulnerable. Putnam states that even the most factually backed up theories could still be false. Putnam used his thought experiment brain in a vat to rebuttal skepticism. Putnam concluded, "if we are brains in a vat, then ‘We are brains in a vat’ is false.” The brains-in-a-vat hypothesis is thus paradoxical and self-defeating." -
Realism
Putnam defended that realism assertions, such as theories and beliefs, are objectively true or false. Putnam attacked the view on "metaphysical realism" and he advised that "internal realism" be replaced with it. -
Philosophy of Mind
Putnam introduced the doctrine of functionalism. Putnam attempts to define "machine functionalism" in terms of mental state to other mental states and behavior. Putnam proposes that the mind is characterized not by the material it is made of, but the functionality of it. However, his thought experiement showed that function could not be characterized in material terms thus abandoning this theory. -
Died
Arlington, Massachusetts -
Work Cited
Baghramian, Maria. “Hilary Putnam (1926-2016).” Philosophy Now: a Magazine of Ideas, 2016, philosophynow.org/issues/114/Hilary_Putnam_1926-2016. Ben-Menahem, Yemima. “Varieties of Realism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Hilary-Putnam/Varieties-of-realism. -
Twin Earth Video