How did Hilary Putnam’s views on Marxism and materialism change over time?

Hilary Putnam’s relationship with Marxism and materialism evolved significantly throughout his life and career.

Marxism

In his early life, Putnam was exposed to Marxist thought through his father, who was an active communist and columnist for the Daily Worker. During the 1960s, Putnam became deeply involved in the antiwar movement, participating in groups such as the Students for a Democratic Society and the Maoist Progressive Labor Party. However, by the early 1970s, he became disillusioned with far-left political ideology and shifted his focus toward his Jewish heritage.1

Materialism

Despite his early sympathy with Marxism, Putnam never committed himself to strict materialism. Over time, he distanced himself further from materialist positions.2

His philosophical work reflects this shift:
* Functionalism: Putnam initially introduced functionalism, which argued that mental states are defined by their functional roles rather than their physical composition. He famously noted that mental functions could be performed by various physical systems, implying that mental properties cannot be uniquely reduced to physical ones.3
* Critique of Scientism: Later in his career, Putnam became increasingly critical of "scientism"—the view that all knowledge is scientific—and moved away from the idea that mental states could be characterized in purely syntactic or internalist terms.32
* Fact-Value Dichotomy: He challenged the traditional fact-value distinction, arguing that human language is inherently value-laden and that factual descriptions cannot be disentangled from normative judgments.2