Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Physics is a science. Math is. Or Biology. Finance is not. Because it deals with the madness of crowds. If you follow the scientific method, it's science. If you write an observational essay, it's not. You can build theories around falsifiable, replicable experiments pertaining to the madness of crowds. The error bars are longer. But they are not infinite.
> If you follow the scientific method, it's science. OP's claim was that quantitative finance was *hard science*. Requirements regarding predictability are way more stringent than merely observing stuff and seeing how it responds to an input.
These are colloquial terms [1]. We might as well argue about whether Pop Tarts are ravioli or tacos sandwiches.