<i>The mistake is in thinking it should or could be a hard science like physics.</i><p>That&#x27;s fair, so far as academic research goes, as there are plenty of academics doing respectable work in in non-scientific fields such as music and poetry.<p>But it&#x27;s another matter to decide if and how to ethically apply the <i>results</i> of soft-science research (likewise music and poetry) in ways that affect society.