Philosophy
Semantic Externalism and the Meaning of Natural Kind Terms
Quick fact
Philosopher Hilary Putnam's famous 'Twin Earth' thought experiment showed that two identical people could have identical mental states while meaning different things by the same word, just because their environments differ.
Why this is interesting
You probably think the meaning of the word 'water' is in your head—the thought of clear, tasteless liquid. But what if your identical twin on a distant planet had a different substance with exactly the same properties? Would the word still mean the same thing?