This collection of six essays juxtaposes urgent pleas and measured discussions: three argumentative pieces warn against the overreach of physical science, urge deliberate cultivation of moral and aesthetic feeling through education, and propose a reimagining of a faith tradition toward more progressive, universalist forms; the concluding three essays examine the relation between knowledge and happiness, analyze common patterns of thought, and compare the merits of urban and rural ways of life. The tone shifts between advocacy and critical inquiry, and the author assembles principles and facts to guide readers toward forming balanced judgments rather than prescribing fixed conclusions.