Balanced Wonder: Experiential Sources of Imagination, Virtue, and Human Flourishing digs deep into the alluring topic of wonder and argues in a scholarly yet accessible way that the experience of wonder, when balanced, serves as a strong contributor to human flourishing.

Along the way I describe seven properties of wonder and shows how wonder is distinct from other altered states, including awe, horror, the sublime, curiosity, amazement, admiration, and astonishment.

Examining the contribution of both emotion and imagination in the experience of wonder filtered through the Neo-Aristotelian work of philosophers Douglas Rasmussen, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Martha Nussbaum I also make it clear that wonder may contribute to human flourishing in various ways, such as the widening of perception, extension of moral scope or sensitivity, a wondrous afterglow, openness, humility, an imaginative attitude, reverence, and gratitude. Importantly, for wonder to act as a strong contributor to human flourishing one needs to wonder at the right thing, in the right amount, in at the right time, in the right way, and for the right purpose.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Lure of Wonder
Chapter 2: Wonder and Emotion
Chapter 3: Wonder and Imagination
Chapter 4: Implications of the Role of Imagination in Wonder
Chapter 5: Wonder, Human Flourishing, and Virtue
Conclusion: Wondering about Wonder