The problem is that for any economic model, you start by excluding data that doesn't fit your parameters - like Piketty arguing that the past 60 years are anomalous because of global warfare and therefore we need to pay closer attention to the 1850s or Goodhart et. al. arguing that the past 60 years are the only thing that matters because China and Collapse of the USSR therefore PIketty is full of shit.
Agreed. Of course, you can say something about the mean 10 year treasury rate over a given amount of time, but even in such a straight forward measure, whether or not the same rate at a different time has similar effects is anyone's guess. I guess the question is: Is the question worth asking? It's kind of like philosophical debate. Rarely is anything settled, but the process seems to have some value.