[BucketSort]

This has been a common point of complaint in Physics since Einstein, and probably before. The idea that you can come up with ideas about how the universe works in the absence of experimentation doesn't sit right with many scientists. There are many scientists, like Edward Witten, that are working on things that are purely mathematical at the moment, and to some it seems like an inbred mathematical fantasy. In their defense, this is why what they do is called theoretical physics.

[chopin]

>In their defense, this is why what they do is called theoretical physics.

In my opinion, theoretical physics is about explaining observable phenomena in a falsifiable way (I am with Popper here). Otherwise an omnipotent god would be an equally good explanation for a given phenomenon.

[BucketSort]

I consider their role to be the people that are exploring mathematical models of phenomena that may or may not exist, so when the regular physicists find something new, there's some mathematical precedent they can use. Physics is about explaining "observable phenomena in a falsifiable way," theoretical physics is broader than that. I think they both have their place. I don't know why people put them at odds against each other, I thought they have been shown to have a long and fruitful relationship ( the experimentalists and the mathematicians ). The relationship between Faraday and Maxwell should be the shining example that shows how the two sides of understanding nature balance each other.