[danharaj]

Mathematical physics is important even if it doesn't produce theories that have direct relevance to current unexplained phenomena. String theory has been an enormous contribution to what we know of the mathematical structure of quantum field theory itself. These developments while not yet, if ever testable as the correct extension of the standard model contribute new mathematical methods, principles, and ideas that tell us what an extension to the standard model would look like. Furthermore understanding the mathematics of QFT itself lets us develop new computation principles for simulations. There's also theoretical widgets like topological quantum field theories which do show up in nature in condensed matter physics.

At the very least all of these theoretical developments bring us incrementally closer to understanding the structure of Quantum Chromodynamics. We still don't understand the theory enough to tell whether or not there are tetraquarks! All the effort put into theoretical physics and mathematical physics improves our mastery of the standard model.

tl;dr; don't call math garbage :[

[cabinpark]

I have no qualms with mathematical physics at all. I love mathematical physics to the extent my undergraduate degree is in mathematical physics. But the problem is that they are calling it reality. To my mind, string theory is nothing but a mathematical exercise that likely has nothing to do with reality.

I hate when theorists take some abstract crazy idea and then say the universe has 10 or 11 dimensions when they have no basis for saying that.