> i sometimes have the feeling that those models don't do much more that extrapolate exponentials and lines, without any kind of comprehension of the underlying

> i sometimes have the feeling that those models don't do much more that extrapolate exponentials and lines, without any kind of comprehension of the underlying phenomenons At the end of the day, all we have is our feelings. In terms of our decision-making and understanding of the world, though, I think it's important to recognize the general distributed consensus from observations around us. If you're feeling those pangs of doubt, I'd encourage you to try to find the dry citations behind the articles that you've mentioned.