

Ask HN: Does thirst in any way prove the existence of water*? - shawndumas

*water being a place holder for any liquid that could quench thirst.
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ttctciyf
"Proof" is strong word here, given that thirst is a subjective phenomenon and
hard to pin down. But, at least along with the assumption that a large body of
related knowledge to do with physiology, evolution and psychology, not to
mention common sense, is broadly correct, actor reports of thirst seem at the
very least to provide strongly indicative evidence for the existence of water.

Since the existence of water is not anyway in doubt, one wonders what the
point of the question is. One analogous assertion sometimes made is that the
craving for religious experience proves the existence of the divine, but I
think this is a far shakier proposition, more like saying "thirst proves the
existence of cherry cola."

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shawndumas
So you're in the desert desperately thirsty; you're fairly certain that you
see water in the distance. That doesn't mean you'll get water -- you may die
before getting there, it's a mirage -- but it's gotta mean that water exists
for why else the driving, maddening, desire to drink?

Not talking about achieving, just talking about existing... remove all
religious overtones (or undertones); just on a purely practical level -- if
there was no such thing as water would you ever get thirsty?

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ttctciyf
I don't think we disagree that thirst presents strong grounds for belief in
the existence of water, if we assume received knowledge about physiology, etc.

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maxerickson
I think you would first have to come up with some sort of concrete way of
proving a lack of delusion. A delusional motivation doesn't have anything to
say about reality.

It also apparently happens that people that are reasonably hydrated still
think they are thirsty.

Another issue would be separating thirst from 'desire for unicorns'. Or
whatever more reasonable example someone can come up with.

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shawndumas
Yes, I agree, being deluded that you are gonna get your thirst quenched and
whether or not something that can quench thirst actually exists are two
separate issues. Also, no matter how motivated you are to eat sand as a means
of quenching thirst it'll avail nothing; on that we can both agree.

The second point is a missed placed / misinterpreted thirsting (your body
needs something that it associates with drinking; electrolytes, sodium, etc)
or an unfortunate inability of the body to process water. But that would seem
to strengthen the necessity of water and not diminish it. In the former the
powerfully felt desire to drink is so prominent that we confuse other desires
for it, and the latter because the body will not stop desiring until satiated.

And the third seems to me to be just another way of saying that the desire is
real but misplaced.

But really, I find it incredibly interesting that the conversation keeps
wanting to be pulled into a discussion of aberrations of thirsting. Would you
say that just because a minescule portion of the population has thirsting
abnormalities of various kinds really invalidates the overwhelming majority of
genuine thirsting?

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maxerickson
If desires aren't consistently genuine, then they aren't useful as proof of
anything, at least for the stronger meanings of proof (simply because any
given momentary desire might be nonsense, which can't prove anything).

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shawndumas
Do you mean prove in the: > vulgar > scientific > logic > maths

Cause it seems to me they way I am using it and the way you are using it are
different.

The first two are never provable in the sense of the second two.

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maxerickson
I had sort of assumed you meant the second two.

(The question makes the most sense to me as a logic game...)

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shawndumas
When I created the question I added the phrase "in any way" to distinguish my
mening the first two.

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maxerickson
Sorry!

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sp332
It's a proof that it will eventually exist, because someone who wants it will
invent it :)

