It's more utilitarian than that. The power law is a tool for inquisition, you need to verify your assumptions when possible. If you can't, the power law is one

It's more utilitarian than that. The power law is a tool for inquisition, you need to verify your assumptions when possible. If you can't, the power law is one of many models which you can apply to seek insight into a system. A good heuristic for knowing which model to apply is tantamount in absence of a testable environment.