Literary notes about Equipoise (AI summary)
In literature, "equipoise" has been employed as a versatile metaphor for balance—be it physical, metaphysical, or political. For example, H. G. Wells uses it to describe the literal balancing of a mechanical system, where an object hangs suspended on a chain [1]. Plato, in his Timaeus, invokes the doctrine of equipoise to articulate cosmic harmony and the maintained equilibrium within nature [2][3]. Similarly, Frazer extends the metaphor to describe a person as the fulcrum that holds the world's balance, suggesting that even the slightest disturbance can have vast consequences [4]. In the political realm, Burke portrays the condition of a nation as delicately balanced between natural fortifications and perilous hazards [5], while James Allen frames individual responsibility as the keystone in maintaining a just, ordered universe, implying that any loss of this balance could lead to total destruction [6].
- "The cone's not fixed, it's hung by a chain from a lever, and balanced by an equipoise.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - First, the doctrine of equipoise.
— from Timaeus by Plato - Both are intelligent natures endued with the power of self-motion, and the same equipoise is maintained in both.
— from Timaeus by Plato - He is the point of support on which hangs the balance of the world, and the slightest irregularity on his part may overthrow the delicate equipoise.
— from The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion by James George Frazer - Our constitution stands on a nice equipoise, with steep precipices and deep waters upon all sides of it.
— from The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 01 (of 12) by Edmund Burke - In a justly ordered universe, where loss of equipoise would mean total destruction, individual responsibility must be absolute.
— from As a man thinketh by James Allen
