&gt;&quot;this empirical research is wrong because my unsubstantiated theorizing is right.&quot;<p>The empirical research isn&#x27;t &quot;wrong&quot;, that doesn&#x27;t even make sense.  Data is just data, it stands for nothing but itself, it must be interpreted for one to make a grander statement about reality.<p>I&#x27;m saying your and enraged_camel&#x27;s <i>interpretation</i> of the data is wrong -- which is no less scientific a position, and no more unsubstantiated.  We&#x27;re both examining the data, which itself has no opinion, and making predictions about what that data represents given a number of imperfect heuristics.<p>That&#x27;s how science works.