Philosophical Papers, Volume 1: Mathematics, Matter and Method

by Hilary Putnam

successfulness of prediction is expressed

Genres: Philosophy, Mathematics, Nonfiction, Science, Metaphysics

328 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Hilary Whitehall Putnam was an American philosopher, mathematician, and computer scientist who was a central figure in analytic philosophy from the 1960s until his death, especially in philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and philosophy of science. He was known for his willingness to apply an equal degree of scrutiny to his own philosophical positions as to those of others, subjecting each position to rigorous analysis until he exposed its flaws. As a result, he acquired a reputation for frequently changing his own position. Putnam was Cogan University Professor Emeritus at Harvard University.

Reviews

[Vincenzo Politi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first volume of Putnam's Philosophical Papers is often overlooked or even neglected. This is a shame, as in this papers Putnam is a hardcore realist who has lots of things to say. Indeed, trying to understand why this 'realist' Putnam lately endorsed a form of 'internal realism' (which, for many, is no realism at all) would be extremely interesting.