In this collection of essays Maurice Ash aims to unpick the fallacy of fragmented and compartmentalized knowledge. He believes that the deep cause of the multiple crises facing Western societies is the split between self and the world, and that the solution is to look at the world and see it whole.

In Maurice Ash's view, the way out of our predicament is simple: look at the world and see it whole, as only within that whole can we nurture a sense of place and a sense of community.