In this capstone work, the late Bruce Wilshire seeks to rediscover the fullness of life in the world by way of a more complete activation of the body's potentials. Appealing to our powers of hearing and feeling, with a special emphasis on music, he engages a rich array of composers, writers, and thinkers ranging from Beethoven and Mahler to Emerson and William James. Wilshire builds on James's concept of the much-at-once to name the superabundance of the world that surrounds, nourishes, holds, and stimulates us; that pummels and provokes us; that responds to our deepest need—to feel ecstatically real.
In this capstone work of his career, Bruce W. Wilshire builds on William James’s concept of the much-at-once to develop a holistic philosophy of the experiencing body, giving special attention to the importance of music, and engaging a rich array of thinkers and composers ranging from Jefferson and James to Beethoven and Mahler.