influence

[surei]

It may not be a truth universally acknowledged, but in most cases, really the only way to learn about something is to do so from someone who believes in it. Thus, to learn about things that the average member of society doesn't believe in, you have to find those labeled "nuts" or "quacks" or whatever. They may or may not be, but the belief they hold makes everything seem so reasonable that, even if one doesn't believe themselves, it still makes sense.

I haven't looked at the whole site, but the section on alchemy, at least, seems to be just a presentation of knowledge without any attempt to convert. I can, and do, respect that. It's far better than someone saying, "look at what these idiots believe! They're wrong, of course, but..." I have absolutely no patience for that.