Content Warning: This section refers to the author’s stigmatizing language regarding mental illness.

Chesterton begins the work by alerting the reader to the fact that he is responding to various criticisms he received in the past, especially regarding a book he wrote several years prior entitled Heretics. The primary criticism was that his previous book was too negative and too focused on the reasons for various ideas and philosophies being wrong. The motive for the current book is to explain the reasons why the author has arrived at his current convictions and to state the tenets of his faith more positively.

The author begins the chapter with an example by which to understand his current feelings. Chesterton narrates the story of a man who sets sail on the ocean to discover new lands, only to eventually return to his homeland by accident. The man makes landfall, and rather than feeling foolish or disappointed, he is overcome with joy and feelings of thanksgiving that he has returned home. Chesterton explains how this kind of adventure is one he would be envious of since it would satisfy two different longings at once. It would simultaneously give the benefit of feeling like one had had a grand adventure and result in the satisfaction and security that one feels upon returning home after a long journey.