On the diversity principle and local falsifiability

This manuscript concerns the methodology of evaluating one particular aspect of TCS (theoretical computer science) papers in general, and AGT (algorithmic game theory papers) in particular. This aspect refers to the potential practical applications of these papers. There are multiple other aspects that contribute to the evaluation of papers, such as their mathematical content, aesthetic appeal, relations with previous work, and quality of writing. However, these and other aspects, some of which are often more important than the aspect discussed in this manuscript, will not be addressed in this manuscript. We shall argue that a certain principle, that we call here the diversity principle, makes it difficult to judge the possible practical applicability of TCS papers. We shall then present an evaluation criterion that we shall call local falsifiability that helps cope with this difficulty.