Putnam
contemporaryAnalytic Philosophy1926 – 2016
Hilary Putnam was one of the most influential American philosophers of the late 20th century, making major contributions to philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science. He is renowned for his twin earth thought experiment, his critique of metaphysical realism, and his evolving views on mathematical philosophy including his indispensability argument.
Notable Achievements
1
Developed the Quine-Putnam indispensability argument for mathematical realism
2
Created the Twin Earth thought experiment challenging semantic internalism
3
Formulated functionalism as a theory of mind, then later criticized it
4
Developed internal realism as an alternative to metaphysical realism and relativism
5
Advanced model-theoretic arguments against metaphysical realism