I think they're barking up the wrong tree atm but I can see why
   they might think that: If you're a physicist, you're more likely
   to view the world as states of matter. That's what they do. If
   you're an evolutionary biologist (think Dawkins), you'll see
   everything as evolution. If you're a politician, you'll see
   everything as rhetoric and being convincing, psychology,
   advertising, people-as-statistics and beliefs capable of being
   shifted by word choices. They might believe in a collective
   consciousness that they can tap into and modify. So, take it
   from where it comes.