In his 2004 book The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next, Lee Smolin reproached the physics profession for being seduced by beautiful and elegant theories (notably string theory) rather than those that can be tested by experimentation. Similarly, in his 2007 book Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law, Peter Woit accused physicists of much the same sin as mathematical economists are said to commit.
但是，物理学也同样受过这样的批评。李·斯莫林（Lee Smolin）在他2004年的著作《物理学的困惑：弦理论的兴起，一门科学的没落以及展望》中责备物理学界被美丽和优雅的理论（尤其是弦理论）而不是那些可以通过实验测试的理论所诱惑。同样，在彼得·沃尔特（Peter Woit）2007年的著作《甚至没有错：弦理论的失败以及对物理统一规律的探索》，指责物理学家具有与数学经济学家同等的罪恶。