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The reason you gave is exactly what he argues against. The author is saying that a) people DID drink lots of water, just as much as now, but thats uninteresting
by kedean 12y ago
The reason you gave is exactly what he argues against. The author is saying that a) people DID drink lots of water, just as much as now, but thats uninteresting and nobody would record that, and b) nobody in the past drank because of sanitation reasons. They drank because it tasted good and we like to get drunk, with the pleasant side effect of slightly improved sanitation, but nobody at the time would have realized it.
- dragonwriter 12y agoWhether they realized or not may be immaterial to whether or not the benefit explains the prominence of the behavior -- a socially transmitted behavior (meme) that gives those engaging in it a slight survival advantage can easily be reinforced over time even without conscious recognition of the benefit of the meme.