Putnam on Analytic Philosophy and God

Of late Hilary Putnam has been doing a traveling talk Is Analytic Philosophy a Good Thing?. Putnam's answer is something along the lines of indifference and let a thousand flowers bloom. Some might be surprised by such a response from a person who, for some forty years, was a central player in many key areas of analytic philosophy. A few people I've spoken to have attributed Putnam's remarks as those of an elder statesman who is looking back to pronounce on or chide those of his own discipline. I might have thought the same thing except for the fact that I first heard Putnam make similar remarks on WBUR's The Connection some five years ago. The occasion was a summer series on philosophy, with a particular segment on the "God Problem." The guests included both Putnam and Alvin Plantinga. Putnam's remarks about analytic philosophy's response to God talk are close to the beginning of the segment, and mirror some of his remarks in the more recent talk. Both programs are worth listening to, though philosophers will find the former of more interest. I should also point out that John Burgess has written an open letter in response to Is Analytic Philosophy a Good Thing?.