How did science get done for the centuries before peer review?
Mostly by well-off people satisfying their personal curiosity. Other than that, by finding a rich and/or powerful patron and keeping him amused :-D
I agree that the cult of peer review is overblown. But does MIRI produce any relevant and falsifiable output at all?
How did science get done for the centuries before peer review?
I would answer differently than you: "Very inefficiently and with lots of errors".
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