We have seen all kinds of stropping methods on this site and for the folks who use them they work just fine. I've seen people hone razors and everything they do is "wrong" but they get great results. The issue to me is they have perfected this method and have become expert at it. For most of us the tried and true way works best and has been used for a very long time by professionals and non professionals.

The comparison with science is false because you're comparing a simple process with a highly complex one little understood years ago. There isn't much to analyze with stropping. It works or it doesn't and the empirical proof is immediately in front of you.