Conversation so far:
What is Epistemology?
Epistemology is the study of the nature of knowledge, justification, and the rationality of belief. There is debate about whether knowledge is possible at all, called skepticism.
What was Hilary Putnam's brain in a vat thought experiment?
Hilary Putnam is known for his thought experiment, arguing that one cannot coherently state that one is a disembodied brain in a vat placed there by some mad scientist.
What did Hilary Putnam's brain in a vat thought experiment prove?
If a brain in a vat were to say I'm a brain in a vat, she would be saying I'm a brain-image in a vat-image, which is incoherent.
How did Hilary Putnam's brain in a vat thought experiment explain metaphysical realism?
Hilary Putnam, by arguing a brain in vat scenario is impossible, attempts to show the notion of a gap between man's concept of the world and reality, is in itself absurd.
When was Hilary Putnam's brain in a vat thought experiment performed?
In his Reason, Truth and History (1981), Hilary Putnam first presented the argument that we cannot be brains in a vat, which has since given rise to a large discussion
What else was notable about Hilary Putnam's take on epistemology besides his view on skepticism?
Hilary Putnam has clarified that his real target in this argument was never skepticism, but metaphysical realism.

Question: Did Putnam originally theorize that metaphysical realism was possible?
Self-contained rewrite: Did Hilary Putnam originally theorize that metaphysical realism was possible?