Book: Reason, Truth and History

Introduction
"Reason, Truth and History" is a 1981 book by American philosopher Hilary Putnam, who is thought about among the most essential figures in analytic philosophy. In this work, Putnam tries to tackle some fundamental problems in approach, such as the nature of reality, truth, and reason, and how they are intertwined with language, human cognition, and the external world. He slams the correspondence theory of reality, the conventional view of representation, and the mind-body issue, providing alternative viewpoints and insights that have since had considerable influence in modern philosophical conversations.

Meaning and Reference
In the very first part of the book, Putnam talks about the problems of meaning and referral. He argues against the traditional view of representation, which holds that words mean things or principles in the world, and highlights that meaning and recommendation are context-dependent and linked with human objectives and functions. Putnam shows this point through the popular thought experiment called "Twin Earth", in which 2 similar worlds, Earth and Twin Earth, have the same words however different substances (e.g., "water" in the world is H2O, while on Twin Earth it's XYZ). Putnam concludes that words do not have intrinsic significance however rather derive their meaning from the wider context including human conceptual schemes, conventions, and social practices.

Realism and Anti-Realism
Putnam then turns to the debate in between realism and anti-realism, two opposing views about the nature of things, properties, and relations in the world. Realists declare that there is a mind-independent reality, while anti-realists preserve that reality is, to some degree, dependent on human cognition and language. Putnam challenges both positions by proposing his famous "internal realism" as an alternative. He argues that there is no supreme or esoteric point of view from which the world can be completely described. Instead, the way we develop and describe the world will constantly be constrained by our existing conceptual framework, which is prone to revision and change. In other words, human knowledge and understanding always contribute in figuring out the nature of truth.

Fact
In the domain of truth, Putnam critiques the correspondence theory, which proposes that a declaration holds true if and only if it corresponds to a truth in the world. He competes that this view presupposes a discredited photo of language and meaning, and uses a more pragmatic method to reality. According to Putnam, reality is based upon human practices and must be viewed as an "idealization" of the procedure of successful communication. In this method, the notion of reality is always rooted in human interests, conventions, and social functions, instead of an objective, mind-independent truth.

The Mind-Body Problem
Putnam also attends to the perennial mind-body problem, questioning the dualism in between mental and physical states. He argues that we should move away from the Cartesian model, in which the body and mind are developed as unique substances, towards a more "naturalistic" method. This includes understanding mindsets as brain states or states of a practical organization, which can be multiply-realized in different product substances or biological systems. This perspective, called "functionalism", has considering that become a prominent alternative to conventional dualism and physicalism in the viewpoint of mind.

Conclusion
In "Reason, Truth and History", Hilary Putnam makes substantial contributions to various fields of philosophy, in specific, the approach of language, metaphysics, epistemology, and the viewpoint of mind. By challenging the traditional understanding of significance, referral, fact, realism, and the mind-body problem, Putnam encourages readers to reconsider the very structures of these important philosophical disputes. His work has actually had a profound effect on contemporary approach and continues to inspire discussion and reflection amongst scholars today.