The Word as Interpretation: Philosophical Reflection on the History of the Discovery of Water

Abstract

The Truth and Reality of the statement “Water is H2O” seems to be a well-embedded fact about nature in our body of scientific knowledge. Little is known however on how this Reality came into existence. Hasok Chang’s historical narrative on the issue as it appears in his Is Water H2O?, reveals many aspects of scientific practice, methodologies and projected images of nature revolving around the nature and constitution of water that challenge the theoretical monists’ image of science. My interpretation of the historical episodes leading to the “discovery of water” questions this monistic image of science in both its metaphysical and methodological aspects. In my research I follow Chang’s historiography on the issue, and examine a plethora of systems of thought each of which had its own metaphysical and methodological concerns and illustrate that the discovery of water was achieved through the cultivation, interaction and competition of these different systems. My aim is to show that the “discovery of water” was brought forth from the adoption of a pluralistic attitude both in terms of methodology and metaphysics. These reflections into the history of the discovery of water showcase that issues pertaining to “Reality” and “Truth” are not settled once and for all. The alternative image I offer is that: The way the world is, is directly related to the way we choose to approach it, to interpret it. A plurality of alternatives presents us with different ways the world is; the world is our interpretation of it.