From Philosophy To Judaism: Maimonides and Hilary Putnam

Hilary Putnam z`l (1926-2016, University Professor, Harvard) was well-known for how his views on key philosophical issues evolved over time. Beginning in 1988, he pursued a "pragmatic realist" position. In 1999, he began writing the essays that became "Jewish Philosophy as a Guide to Life". This paper argues that there is a link between these developments. In particular, Putnam borrowed from Dewey the idea that values have a certain objectivity, and in turn make demands upon us. And Putnam combined this with Buber`s idea of the transformational demands of moral values in our experience of the Divine. The result is a very "American" foundation for approaching Judaism.

(A draft of the paper is available for review upon request.)