[mikeappell]

> until there is confirming evidence that assertion is just mental self-gratification.

I'd say this is a bit overly negative. There's value in developing theories and frameworks which aren't yet provable but should be as soon as technology or other theoretical frameworks catch up.

[edgyquant]

But those, by definition, are not theories they are hypothesis.

[mikeappell]

I'm pushing back on describing them as 'mental self-gratification', as that seems like it implies a lack of value in them, potential if not immediate.

[phkahler]

>> I'm pushing back on describing them as 'mental self-gratification'

I said "You can have a bunch of cool math, but that's not physics. It's not scientific theory by itself. You can hypothesize that it describes the real world, but until there is confirming evidence that assertion is just mental self-gratification."

The math can be cool - and often is. It's the unsubstantiated claim that it underpins reality that is whackin' ones brain.