Philosophy as Dialogue

A collection of Hilary Putnam's stimulating, incisive responses to such varied and eminent thinkers as Richard Rorty, Jürgen Habermas, Noam Chomsky, Martha Nussbaum, W. V. Quine, Wilfrid Sellars, John McDowell, and Cornel West. Hilary Putnam (1926–2016) was renowned—some would say infamous—for changing his philosophical positions over the course of his long and much-admired career. This collection of essays, the first of its kind, showcases how his ideas evolved as he wrestled with the work of his contemporaries. Divided into five thematic sections, Philosophy as Dialogue begins with questions of language and formal logic, tracing Putnam's reactions to the arguments of Wilfrid Sellars, Noam Chomsky, Charles Travis, and Tyler Burge. Next, it brings together Putnam's responses to realists and antirealists, philosophers of science and of perception, followed by forays into pragmatism and skepticism. While Putnam devoted most of his efforts to logic, mathematics, and the philosophy of mind, he also took up issues in moral philosophy, politics, and religion. Here we read him in conversation with giants of these fields, including Martha Nussbaum, Jürgen Habermas, Elizabeth Anscombe, Cora Diamond, Richard Rorty, and Franz Rosenzweig. Finally, Philosophy as Dialogue presents Putnam's deeply personal and largely unknown writing on philosophical method that reveals the influence of W. V. Quine, Michael Dummett, and Stanley Cavell on his work. Once more, Mario De Caro and David Macarthur have presented and introduced a choice selection of Hilary Putnam's writings that will change the way he is understood. Most of all, these thirty-six replies and responses to his contemporaries showcase the extraordinary—perhaps even unparalleled—breadth of his work, and his capacity to engage deeply with seemingly every mode of philosophy.

A collection of Hilary Putnam's stimulating, incisiveresponses to such varied and eminent thinkers as Richard Rorty,Jürgen Habermas, Noam Chomsky, Martha Nussbaum, W. V. Quine,Wilfrid Sellars, John McDowell, and Cornel West. HilaryPutnam (1926-2016) was renowned-some would say infamous-forchanging his philosophical positions over the course of his longand much-admired career. This collection of essays, the first ofits kind, showcases how his ideas evolved as he wrestled with thework of his contemporaries. Divided into five thematic sections,Philosophy as Dialogue begins with questions of languageand formal logic, tracing Putnam's reactions to the arguments ofWilfrid Sellars, Noam Chomsky, Charles Travis, and Tyler Burge.Next, it brings together Putnam's responses to realists andantirealists, philosophers of science and of perception, followedby forays into pragmatism and skepticism. While Putnam devoted mostof his efforts to logic, mathematics, and the philosophy of mind,he also took up issues in moral philosophy, politics, and religion.Here we read him in conversation with giants of these fields,including Martha Nussbaum, Jürgen Habermas, Elizabeth Anscombe,Cora Diamond, Richard Rorty, and Franz Rosenzweig. Finally,Philosophy as Dialogue presents Putnam's deeply personaland largely unknown writing on philosophical method that revealsthe influence of W. V. Quine, Michael Dummett, and Stanley Cavellon his work. Once more, Mario De Caro and David Macarthur havepresented and introduced a choice selection of Hilary Putnam'swritings that will change the way he is understood. Most of all,these thirty-six replies and responses to his contemporariesshowcase the extraordinary-perhaps even unparalleled-breadth of hiswork, and his capacity to engage deeply with seemingly every modeof philosophy.

"This anthology edited by Mario De Caro and David Macarthur offers an insightful presentation of Hilary Putnam's philosophical method by collecting his reflections on many other philosophers, including such major figures as Richard Rorty, Jürgen Habermas, Bernard Williams, Ned Block, Michael Dummett, W.V. Quine, Hans Reichenbach, Tyler Burge, John McDowell, Charles Parsons, and Ian Hacking"-- Provided by publisher During his long career, Hilary Putnam repeatedly revised his philosophical positions. This unique volume is a window into his intellectual humility and breadth of interests, as his own thinking evolved in dialogue with contemporaries such as Sellars, Habermas, Rorty, Chomsky, McDowell, Nussbaum, W. V. Quine, Cora Diamond, and Cornel West.