"Water is H2O" is an Abstraction

Should you think about your duty, or about the consequences of your actions? Or should you concentrate on becoming a good person?

Moderators: AMod, iMod

Post Reply
Veritas Aequitas
Posts: 12357
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:41 am

"Water is H2O" is an Abstraction

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

Ever since humans emerged from evolution, humans had recognized the prevalence and of a certain type of fluids or liquid that has quality of wetness, etc. and is VERY critical for their survival and those of all living things.
With the emergence of language, this liquid was named 'water' [English] or whatever names in other languages. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water#Etymology

Henry Cavendish showed that water was composed of oxygen and hydrogen in 1781.[95] The first decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen, by electrolysis, was done in 1800 by English chemist William Nicholson and Anthony Carlisle.[95][96] In 1805, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac and Alexander von Humboldt showed that water is composed of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.[97] -wiki

".. chemists took more than half a century to agree on changing John Dalton’s original formula for water from HO to H2O." - Is Water H2O -Hasok Chang

"In any case, very modern science no longer subscribes to the notion that water is simply H2O . 1
Not only does water contain rarer isotopes such as deuterium, but its familiar chemical and physical properties depend essentially on the presence of various ions, and on the continual connections and re-connections between neighboring molecules which belie the single-molecule formula of H2O.
If we had a simple heap of H2O molecules, it would not be recognizable as water."
Ibid.

There are many types of 'water' with different chemical compositions and structure.
Because if we look at enough samples of enough water [in ordinary language], we will find H2O17, H2O18, HDO16, D2O17, T2O18, etc., in addition to H2O16.
In fact, natural samples of water almost always contain a mixture of these other isomers.

As such "water is H20" is merely an ABSTRACTION from the many types of H2O with their specific isotopes and other composition.

"Of course, the “H2O” view still contains an important element of truth about the constitution of water, and continues to have heuristic utility.
But it would be wrong to take it as an eternal and unqualifi ed truth; rather, it was merely one important resting-point in the continuing progressive saga of science." -Hasok Change

Thus;
"In any case, very modern science no longer subscribes to the notion that water is simply H2O" - Hasok Chang

Whilst the Science-Chemistry FSK do not recognize "water is H20" is a real fact per se, Peter Holmes on the other hand insist 'water is H20' is a fact, i.e. a feature of reality, state of affairs, that is the case, that is independent of the human conditions.
Actually, 'water is H20' is merely an abstraction.

Based on the above basis of PH's what is fact [e.g. Water is H20] PH insist there are no moral facts as such, therefore Morality cannot be Objective.
Therefore I claim PH's claim that 'Morality cannot be Objective' is groundless, fatuous and a non-starter.

If PH still insist that Morality is not Objective, he has to produce other arguments instead of relying on 'there are no moral facts' such as 'water is H20'.
Veritas Aequitas
Posts: 12357
Joined: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:41 am

Re: "Water is H2O" is an Abstraction

Post by Veritas Aequitas »

"Through this story of the changing conceptions of water, I also
wish to advance the debate on some major philosophical issues, including realism
and pluralism.
I have deliberately chosen as the subject of my study one of the most
familiar substances [water] in human life and one of the most basic scientific facts about that substance." - Hasok Chang.

The above implies the general principles from this 'water is not really H20' is applicable to all scientific facts, i.e.
whatever is claimed as a scientific fact is conditioned upon the scientific FSK.
User avatar
Agent Smith
Posts: 1442
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:23 pm

Re: "Water is H2O" is an Abstraction

Post by Agent Smith »

It becomes imperative, given what is claimed to be at stake, to suss out what water is or isn't. As usual, out of habit, some of us do a 360, looking for the/a answer.

"He's here! He's here!"

"Who's here?!"

"Tom!"

"Tom, the barber? The guy who has that salon with the weird name?"

"Yes, yes!"

"What's going on? Why's everyone so excited ... to meet a barber?!"

"He's not a barber, he's the barber!"

"You mean he's like the Last of the Mohicans barber?"

"No silly! He's ... "

"Snip, snip, whose hair needs a clip?"

"Tom! You're early!"

"Hair grows or did you forget?!"
Post Reply