String Theory and Falsifiability: The Test of Real Science
About this Capsule
Science earns its authority by making predictions that could fail, and string theory doesn't. Against its popularity among physicists, the argument here places untestable theory closer to metaphysics than physics, however elegant the math. Taking this view means judging every theory by whether an experiment could ever prove it wrong.
This capsule argues that string theory fails as a scientific theory because it does not produce testable, falsifiable predictions, a core requirement of the scientific method. While string theory remains popular among physicists, its inability to be empirically verified or falsified places it closer to metaphysics than physics. Readers who adopt this view will prioritize theories grounded in experimental or numerical evidence, emphasizing testability as the defining feature of scientific validity.
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