A Logical Paradox

If they were truly the “best living minds”, would they not be highly attuned to recognizing nonsense, and smart enough to choose different paths, rather than trusting the same untested assumptions over and over for many decades?

I would suggest that an excessive focus on esoteric mathematics leads to the risk of self-delusion and prolonged attempts to fit nature into abstract models that are poor representations of the physical world of nature.

Some say: “Shut up and calculate!”

It might be more scientific to say: “Observe first, then again, and yet again. Then you might be ready to calculate.”