Abstract

The article follows the evolution of the conception of mind elaborated by Hilary Putnam since the 1970s: functionalism. After clarifying the dualist character of this conception, in the sense of keeping body and mind quite distinct, the transition from a computational type of functionalism to a liberal type of functionalism is described. Because the relation to the world plays a central role in determining this transition, and because this same role is at the heart of Putnam’s semantic conception, the close link Putnam makes between reflection on mind and reflection on language is emphasized. Finally, it is highlighted how the outcome of Putnam’s decade-long analysis of the mind gives rise to an image of the human mind in sharp contrast to the Cartesian tradition