Paul Thagard

Balance: How It Works and What It Means, by Paul Thagard, presents balance in all its forms, from literal to metaphorical, and looks at its importance. This book is so much more than just informative, it makes the reader think about metaphors and related tools in a much more practical nature.

I should explain, I don't mean practical in the sense of being a perfect fit. I mean that many of us use metaphors as if they were analogies, which generally have a much closer alignment with what is being referred to. Yet we take a common metaphor and nitpick about the places where it is not applicable. Unfortunately, when one person does that, the tendency is for the next person to then debate those details rather than point out that the metaphor is not meant to have a direct one-to-one alignment, it is used to offer a loose-fitting stand-in that can make discussion better.

Thagard works from the literal, biological/physiological balance as illustrated by the imbalance of vertigo. Then, subject by subject he analyzes various balance metaphors. In doing so he highlights where many serve a very useful purpose while others are actually counterproductive and offer openings for pseudo-debate on the accuracy of the metaphor rather than on the topic at hand. These metaphors allow some to deflect the actual issue at hand by pretending the issue of the metaphor is what matters.

What, in a purely fun way, really makes this book a great read is just how many ways we use the idea of balance/imbalance in talking about almost everything. Even some of the ones I have used frequently have become so cliched that I had stopped thinking about how accurately they fit.

In addition to the body of the text there are plenty of good notes that support his comments. His list of references is extensive, and I plan to go through it more closely and pick out some reading in the areas I find most intriguing.

This is an accessible work, even when he is discussing abstract concepts. He keeps his explanations clear and his examples are usually spot-on. In addition to those with an interest in our use of language in general I would also recommend this to those who enjoy reading in that area where different fields meet and converse.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (meer)