That's physics for ya...
We've read a few of the same books, and I think you'll agree --
It seems one can't pursue a career in physics without winding up in an argument... almost as if it were required. If string theory didn't exist, they'd be fighting about something else.
But this is how science works, and why we love it, acrimony and all. Once the fur stops flying and the dust settles, the real winner is mankind's cumulative understanding.