A Heideggerian Perspective on Thinking about Water: Revisiting the Transition from Hydrology to Hydrosocial Nexus Kalpita Bhar Paul Abstract: It is said that the transition from hydrology to the hydrosocial system has the potential for transforming the way currently water is seen as a natural object. The hydrosocial cycle denotes that we need to think about water beyond the definition of natural objects as the meaning of wa- ter emerges from the socio-cultural-political nexus it is embedded in. In this essay by drawing upon Martin Heidegger’s philosophy, I explore whether this transition is capable of changing the way we think about water. To phil- osophically capture the status of water and the thinking that is associated with it in this transitional moment, I engage with the notion of inceptual thinking, examining its possibilities within the context of this transition. My deliberation will establish that even though the hydrosocial cycle provides us with a unique space and opportunity from which to initiate inceptual thinking about water, the present orientation of hydrosocial scholarship fails to accomplish this objective. I further argue that the possibility to initiate an inceptual thinking arises from the rupture in our thinking, and our empathy toward the ‘in-between’ space of the actor and the thing. This inceptual thinking would lead toward understanding thing as gathering. Keywords: hydrosocial cycle, Heidegger, water, meditative thinking I. INTRODUCTION I n the domain of social sciences, the transition from hydrology to the hydro- social system has been considered a watershed event for addressing various biophysical as well as socio-environmental aspects of water issues. Te main © Environmental Philosophy All rights reserved. ISSN: 1718-0918 doi: 10.5840/envirophil201982785 Online First: August 28, 2019 Kalpita Bhar Paul, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, Krea University. E-mail: kalpita12@gmail.com