Can desire be expressed for entities that do not hold volition?


We can personify things. By using "want" with an inanimate object, it is
personified:

> An object with inertia **wants** to maintain its state of motion.

**(Question)** First, is it possible in Japanese for this kind of desiderative
sentence to be formed?  
If it is possible, do I use `～たい` or `～たがる`? Because according to [Derek
Schaab's answer to "When to use 欲しがる instead of
欲しい"](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/2538/542):

>   * you cannot presume to know the intimate details of a third person's
> mental state
>
>   * and even if you're 100% certain he wants, you can't say this directly.
>
>

Will an entity that does not hold volition take `～たがる` when personified?




You can definitely personify objects in Japanese.

> 慣性のある物体は運動状態を維持したがる

is not _wrong_ per se, but firstly, it's obvious to the listener that a
personification is going on, and secondly, the colloquial feeling that the
personification creates might not go well with the scientific feel of the rest
of the sentence. A more natural translation might be

> 慣性のある物体は運動状態を維持しようとする

When objects are personified in Japanese, it's probably more obvious to the
listener than is the case in English, and therefore more restricted to
colloquial/jocular use. But that doesn't mean it's uncommon. For example, it's
quite common to use こいつ to refer to things, and somebody trying to be funny
might even say このおっさん.

In the company where I work, I wouldn't find it strange if somebody complained
about some software causing trouble by saying

> こいつはいつも問題を起こしたがるんだよ

but the statement would be obviously jocular.




You can definitely personify objects in Japanese.

> 慣性のある物体は運動状態を維持したがる

is not _wrong_ per se, but firstly, it's obvious to the listener that a
personification is going on, and secondly, the colloquial feeling that the
personification creates might not go well with the scientific feel of the rest
of the sentence. A more natural translation might be

> 慣性のある物体は運動状態を維持しようとする

When objects are personified in Japanese, it's probably more obvious to the
listener than is the case in English, and therefore more restricted to
colloquial/jocular use. But that doesn't mean it's uncommon. For example, it's
quite common to use こいつ to refer to things, and somebody trying to be funny
might even say このおっさん.

In the company where I work, I wouldn't find it strange if somebody complained
about some software causing trouble by saying

> こいつはいつも問題を起こしたがるんだよ

but the statement would be obviously jocular.

