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Great thoughtful comment. I think you answer your question yourself. It is defensively written for the modern intellectual who wishes their beliefs to have a flair of objectivity. Perhaps another question is, why it is not enough for the author to trust they intuition when it comes to well-being?

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> why it is not enough for the author to trust they intuition when it comes to well-being?

Good question. I found the section where the author experiences the mind-meld with an Osprey to be the only charming part of the piece. It's an unguarded moment in a guarded essay. It's also downright bizarre but endearing and an experience anyone could have to an encounter in the woods. It's very human. Shame that it's encased in all that objectivity, indeed.

Anyone who writes for the internet age will be guarded or brave enough that they might actually be insane.

I'd call myself an Alan Lightman fan (Einstein's Dreams is a lovely book) but I think he missed on this one.

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