Balance

More about the book

"People take balance for granted until they start to lose it. This book explains how the brain balances the body and why failures sometimes result in vertigo, nausea, and falls. Paul Thagard breaks new ground by explaining how balance and imbalance generate conscious experiences. Moreover, balance metaphors illuminate all areas of human life, from work/life balance to tipping points in climate change. Economists debate whether budgets should be balanced, and politicians worry about the balance of powers. The traditional visual symbol for the law is the balance scale. People fret over whether they are eating a balanced diet and managing an appropriate work-life balance. Reflective equilibrium is an influential concept in philosophy. What unites the literal and metaphorical uses of balance is that they enable people to make sense of perception and action. Unlike physiological balance, metaphorical balance can be toxic because it obstructs medicine, science, and social understanding.""-- Provided by publisher