[Erax]

Hello there.

This is one of the more interesting topics I've seen in a loong time.

First, QuarianRex, you have defended / explained the "Heinlein POV" better than anyone else I have seen. Congratulations !

Second, I believe that there is a fundamental difference between the sciences dealing with Man (psychology, sociology, philosophy, even economics) and the 'exact' sciences. This is because 'human' sciences (I do not call them Humanities because that has a separate meaning) cannot really use the scientific method in its entirety and must rely mostly on observation. An attempt to design and run scientific experiments in these fields would probably be illegal.

You cannot build Plato's cave (I mean, you can, but it would be illegal and monstrous too), you can only search for situations that are similar to it and try to draw your conclusions from those.