Free Capitalist Network - Community Archive
Mises Community Archive
An online community for fans of Austrian economics and libertarianism, featuring forums, user blogs, and more.

Austrian Economics is not axiomatic economics?

Answered (Verified) This post has 1 verified answer | 15 Replies | 5 Followers

Top 500 Contributor
Male
289 Posts
Points 9,530
Kenneth posted on Mon, Jan 18 2010 1:54 AM

What do Austrians think of Victor Aguilar's critique of Mises and the Austrian school in www.axiomaticeconomics.com     ?

Answered (Verified) Verified Answer

Top 50 Contributor
Male
2,651 Posts
Points 51,325
Moderator
Verified by krazy kaju

Gather round children, I have a story to tell. Once upon a time, in the year two-thousand-and-four, in a far, far away land known as the United States of America, Victor Aguilar submitted a paper to the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. This is what he got back:

Referee Comments:

Critique of Austrian Economics From 1930 To 1990”

 

I can in no way recommend publication of this paper. Although purporting

to be a critique of the Austrian tradition since 1930, and while citing a

number of prominent Austrian economists, the paper reveals tremendous

ignorance of the Austrian tradition the author is supposed to be criticizing.

The notion that there was no Austrian tradition before Hayek published

Prices and Production, and that the big split within the tradition occurs

along Menger-Mises vs. Böhm-Bawerk/Hayek lines reveals that the author

knows not of what he is speaking.

The author grossly errs in equating the Austrian tradition itself with

capital theory, thus ignoring the core of Austrian economics: praxeological

price theory. The author further spends an inordinate amount of time

parsing details regarding which direction capital structure triangles lie and

which way arrows on diagrams point. Although these may be important

regarding pedagogy, they hardly define who gets the theory right and who

gets it wrong.

Finally, while making relatively grandiose claims as to the success of

his own axiomatic system as opposed to Mises’, the author merely asserts

that his axioms are right and that Mises’ are wrong. A critique must be

more than a tissue of assertions. It must reasonably demonstrate the problems

of the object of the criticism. In order to provide such a critique, it is

customary to know a reasonable amount of the object in question and to

provide sound reasons for the critique. The author of this paper does neither.

The writing is also way below the standard for acceptance in the

Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. The paper is at times rambling,

at others incoherent, at others unscholarly both in its form and content.

For all of these reasons, this paper does not merit publication in the

QJAE (correspondence from Judith Thommesen, Managing Editor).

  • | Post Points: 5

All Replies

Top 25 Contributor
Male
4,249 Posts
Points 70,775

Kenneth:

What do Austrians think of Victor Aguilar's critique of Mises and the Austrian school in www.axiomaticeconomics.com     ?

They think they should throw up their hands and close down this site.

 

My humble blog

It's easy to refute an argument if you first misrepresent it. William Keizer

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 10 Contributor
Male
11,343 Posts
Points 194,945
ForumsAdministrator
Moderator
SystemAdministrator

http://mises.org/Community/forums/t/1430.aspx

http://mises.org/Community/forums/t/10021.aspx

"When you're young you worry about people stealing your ideas, when you're old you worry that they won't." - David Friedman
  • | Post Points: 35
Top 50 Contributor
Male
2,124 Posts
Points 37,405
Angurse replied on Mon, Jan 18 2010 11:51 AM

That first link was hilarious!

"I am an aristocrat. I love liberty, I hate equality."
  • | Post Points: 20
Top 500 Contributor
144 Posts
Points 2,635

   The last post he made as "sock puppet", on the first link, was filled with falaciousness.

   He completely misunderstood Robert Murphy's quote.

  Ron Paul is not an economist, but what I think he meant by that quote was that money is valuable AS MONEY, because of objective qualities that make it a good form of currency for people.

   His last quote of jeffery tucker and his comments seem absolutely irrelevant.

 

   Normally I get upset at how people on this forum don't really engage people in debate and instead just dismiss people. But here, that was probably the best course of action, this guy had no idea what he was talking about. He attempted to kill a whole school of economics with one paper, that is a lot to expect from one's self.

  • | Post Points: 5
Top 500 Contributor
Male
289 Posts
Points 9,530

Did Robert Murphy really fail to refute it and so lost $1000???

Not Ranked
4 Posts
Points 45

Kenneth:

What do Austrians think of Victor Aguilar's critique of Mises and the Austrian school in www.axiomaticeconomics.com     ?

 

There is this:  Ron Paul Forums:  Criticism of Axiomatic Economics

 

Aguilar was banned for this post so you can comment on axiomatic economics at the first link without worrying about him showing up to defend his theory.

 

  • | Post Points: 5
Top 25 Contributor
Male
3,113 Posts
Points 60,515
Esuric replied on Wed, Feb 10 2010 4:59 PM

This thread is entirely pointless?

"If we wish to preserve a free society, it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion."

  • | Post Points: 5
Not Ranked
4 Posts
Points 45

Smiling Dave:

Kenneth:

What do Austrians think of Victor Aguilar's critique of Mises and the Austrian school in www.axiomaticeconomics.com     ?

They think they should throw up their hands and close down this site.

 

 

Agnapostate used the "Ion Cannon" software to run a denial-of-service attack on Aguilar's website, but it didn't work.

 

What software are you guys using?  Have you had any more success than Agna?

 

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 10 Contributor
Male
5,118 Posts
Points 87,310
ForumsAdministrator
Moderator
SystemAdministrator

Lord Voldemort:

Smiling Dave:

Kenneth:

What do Austrians think of Victor Aguilar's critique of Mises and the Austrian school in www.axiomaticeconomics.com     ?

They think they should throw up their hands and close down this site.

Agnapostate used the "Ion Cannon" software to run a denial-of-service attack on Aguilar's website, but it didn't work.

 

What software are you guys using?  Have you had any more success than Agna?

Edit: Never mind.

To paraphrase Marc Faber: We're all doomed, but that doesn't mean that we can't make money in the process.
Rabbi Lapin: "Let's make bricks!"
Stephan Kinsella: "Say you and I both want to make a German chocolate cake."

  • | Post Points: 20
Not Ranked
4 Posts
Points 45

Never mind what?  You were going to tell me what software you are using but then decided not to since it isn't working?  Tell me anyway.  Maybe I can help.

 

BTW  Here is a screen print of Agnapostate's computer running the Ion Cannon software against Aguilar's site:

 

http://www.politicalforum.com/members/onion-eater.html

 

 

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 50 Contributor
Male
2,651 Posts
Points 51,325
Moderator

I'm banning Lord Voldemort for ban dodging. He is Victor Aguilar or one of his pawns. Also, the Ludwig von Mises Institute does not support any illegal activities, especially ones which the founders of LvMI would consider immoral (e.g. violating others' private property rights).

  • | Post Points: 5
Top 50 Contributor
Male
2,651 Posts
Points 51,325
Moderator
Verified by krazy kaju

Gather round children, I have a story to tell. Once upon a time, in the year two-thousand-and-four, in a far, far away land known as the United States of America, Victor Aguilar submitted a paper to the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. This is what he got back:

Referee Comments:

Critique of Austrian Economics From 1930 To 1990”

 

I can in no way recommend publication of this paper. Although purporting

to be a critique of the Austrian tradition since 1930, and while citing a

number of prominent Austrian economists, the paper reveals tremendous

ignorance of the Austrian tradition the author is supposed to be criticizing.

The notion that there was no Austrian tradition before Hayek published

Prices and Production, and that the big split within the tradition occurs

along Menger-Mises vs. Böhm-Bawerk/Hayek lines reveals that the author

knows not of what he is speaking.

The author grossly errs in equating the Austrian tradition itself with

capital theory, thus ignoring the core of Austrian economics: praxeological

price theory. The author further spends an inordinate amount of time

parsing details regarding which direction capital structure triangles lie and

which way arrows on diagrams point. Although these may be important

regarding pedagogy, they hardly define who gets the theory right and who

gets it wrong.

Finally, while making relatively grandiose claims as to the success of

his own axiomatic system as opposed to Mises’, the author merely asserts

that his axioms are right and that Mises’ are wrong. A critique must be

more than a tissue of assertions. It must reasonably demonstrate the problems

of the object of the criticism. In order to provide such a critique, it is

customary to know a reasonable amount of the object in question and to

provide sound reasons for the critique. The author of this paper does neither.

The writing is also way below the standard for acceptance in the

Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. The paper is at times rambling,

at others incoherent, at others unscholarly both in its form and content.

For all of these reasons, this paper does not merit publication in the

QJAE (correspondence from Judith Thommesen, Managing Editor).

  • | Post Points: 5
Top 50 Contributor
Male
2,651 Posts
Points 51,325
Moderator

Kenneth:

Did Robert Murphy really fail to refute it and so lost $1000???

No, Victor failed to pay up because his ego was (and still is) too big.

  • | Post Points: 20
Top 500 Contributor
Male
204 Posts
Points 4,515
Suggested by viresh amin

krazy kaju:

Kenneth:

Did Robert Murphy really fail to refute it and so lost $1000???

 

No, Victor failed to pay up because his ego was (and still is) too big.

 

http://consultingbyrpm.com/blog/2010/03/yes-victor-aguilar-paid-me-the-1000.html

 

  • | Post Points: 20
Page 1 of 2 (16 items) 1 2 Next > | RSS