Hilary Putnam

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Edited by Yemina Ben-Menahem

Cambridge University Press

Due/Published April 2005, 282 pages, paper

ISBN 0521012546

The richness of Putnam's philosophical oeuvre consists not only in the broad spectrum of problems addressed, but also in the transformations and restructuring his positions have undergone over the years. The essays collected in this volume are sensitive to both these dimensions. They discuss Putnam's major philosophical contributions to the theory of meaning, the philosophy of mind, the philosophy of science and mathematics, and moral theory. But, in addition, tracing threads of change and continuity, they analyze the dynamics underlying the unfolding of Putnam's thought. The volume also constitutes a critical introduction to a number of central issues in contemporary philosophy, including quantum logic, realism, functionalism, the 'minds as computer' metaphor, and the fact/value dichotomy.

Contributors: Yemima Ben-Menahem, Juliet Floyd, Charles Travis, Axel Mueller, Arthur Fine, Tim Maudlin, Nancy Cartwright, John Stachel, Richard J. Bernstein

Contents

1. Introduction Yemima Ben-Menahem; 2. Putnam"s "the meaning of meaning": externalism in historical context Juliet Floyd; 3. The face of perception Charles Travis; 4. Realism, beyond miracles Axel Mueller and Arthur Fine; 5. Putnam on scepticism Yemima Ben-Menahem; 6. The tale of quantum logic Tim Maudlin; 7. Another philosopher looks at quantum mechanics Nancy Cartwright; 8. Structural realism and contextual individualism John Stachel; 9. The rise and fall of machine functionalism; 10. The pragmatic turn: the entanglement of fact and value Richard J. Bernstein.