Through careful examination of concepts from titans like Aristotle, Plato, Jung, Nietzsche, Hegel, Asian philosophy mentor Roshi Zenkei Shibayama, Native American and Buddhist influences, Harris presents powerful intersecting ideas to the reader. He also draws parallels between literary works by Sophocles, Plato, Dante, Jorge Luis Borges, James Joyce, Lady Murasaki, Ezra Pound, and others. Works of art included in the book – from the collage on the front cover to the familiar sight of the eternal Ouroboros at the end – make an impact on the reader, and mathematics and poetics also play a role in defining the author’s desire to “shatter” common ways of thought.