In other words, if one is put off by the word occult in the title of the book, but overcomes that prejudice and reads the book, one thereby shows exactly the independence of thought that allows one to receive full benefit from the book. Those, on the other hand, who are put off by the word occult and read the book to find sustenance for their prejudices will find ample reason to criticize the book severely and will receive no other benefit from their reading whatsoever. They will have, in effect, stumbled over the raw Kimberley diamond and cursed the rock containing it!
Some may wonder how it's possible to talk about the supersensible world to humans who perceive only those things of the sensible world, but Steiner says "It is just as comprehensible as the finished picture of the painter is to the man who does not paint." With this as his guiding principle he decided to produce a book which "could be understood by every thinking human being who allows no obstruction to interfere with his understanding." Clearly no one willingly allows obstructions to interfere with one's understanding, but just as one puts blinders on a horse to negotiate busy city streets, scientists don materialistic blinders which cripple their ability to understand the supersensible world, up until now. Knowing that to be a fact in 1909, Steiner risked the publication of this book anyway. What he says in the passage below may certainly yet be the case for many scientists in 2003 as I write these words.