Natural Laws and Human Language

The paper addresses an apparent tension in Putnam’s philosophy be-tween, on the one hand, his realism, which suggests an objective understanding of natural laws, and, on the other hand, his acknowledgment of the role of human language–in particular its sensitivity to context and personal experience in shaping our beliefs and methods of justification. Understanding Putnam’s position on the relation between human language and objective reality also involves examining his views on reduction and non-scientific truths - issues that he was deeply concerned with in his later philosophy.