The passage given below is followed by four alternate summaries. Choose the option that best captures the essence of the passage.

All that we think we know about how life hangs together is really some kind of illusion that we have perpetrated on ourselves because of our limited vision. What appear to be inanimate objects such as stones turn out not only to be alive in the same way that we are, but also in many infinitesimal ways to be affected by stimuli just as humans are. The distinction between animate and inanimate simply cannot be made when you enter the world of quantum mechanics and try to determine how those apparent subatomic particles, of which you and everything else in our universe is composed, are all tied together. The point is that physics and metaphysics show there is a pattern to the universe that goes beyond our capacity to grasp it with our brains.

The passage is about the limitations of our understanding of the universe and how it is connected. It suggests that our understanding of the distinction between animate and inanimate objects may be flawed because of our limited perspective, and that quantum mechanics reveals a different understanding of this distinction; it also suggests that there may be a pattern to the universe that we cannot fully grasp with our brains. Option D correctly captures these points.

Options A and B are incorrect because the passage does not state that the effect of stimuli is similar in inanimate objects compared to living beings or mention astigmatism or an erroneous view of reality. Option C is not understood since the passage does not suggest that inanimate objects are sentient or cognizant; it only highlights that the distinction between animate and inanimate objects disappears at the quantum scale.

Hence, Option D is the correct choice.