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The elusive equilibrium
The notion of balance is relevant in more than a few ways in our lives. But it is not always easy — or even possible — to establish it.
People have been using balance scales for a long time. The earliest evidence, discovered in Pakistan and Egypt, goes back at least 4000 years. Such devices were (and are) based on the idea that one can determine an unknown weight by balancing the scales with a known weight, producing equilibrium, derived from the Latin for equal and balance (libra).
Equilibrium everywhere
There is something peculiar about the state of equilibrium. We encounter it in the natural sciences: in mechanics, for example, an object that is not in motion is said to be in a state of equilibrium, because the forces that act upon it counteract each other (e.g. the gravitational force on a vehicle parked on a steep hill pulling it down is balanced by the friction of the tyres on the road). In chemistry, equilibrium exists when the reaction in one direction proceeds at the same rate as the reverse reaction, for example in a closed bottle of fizzy water, where the amount of CO2 exiting the liquid equals the amount that is reabsorbed.
We see balance in man-made objects in engineering (bicycles!) and in the aesthetics of architecture and art: buildings, paintings, photographs etc. And how could I not mention the economic equilibrium, the concept which captures how for example supply and demand are balanced in a market.
We see the concept of equilibrium even at the core of our individual and collective humanity: Lady Justice’s set of scales is not there just for decoration, and we tend to think it is better to have a balanced personality or to be in a balanced relationship.
Somehow it feels natural and complete to see things being evenly balanced. Societies often reflect such sense of balance as well. Many goods and services are left to the market to supply and set the prices. But others are provided by the state, often at no cost, so that there is no imbalance between who does, and who does not have…
