Is this video correct

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMn2R5txO28&feature=related

Unfortunately the poster has blocked comments, but he in a nutshell(for those who don’t want to sit through the video) that because Austrian economics relies on deductive reasoning it is an pre-scientific school of economics that belongs in the dustbin of history. The poster/narrator criticizes the Austrian school for not using data and instead relying on rationalism, which he claims went by the wayside in around the 18th century. He also criticizes the deductive reasoning of the Austrians as ‘pre-scientific’ and ends the video by saying that if the Austrians were indeed correct they would become well-known overnight.

Thoughts? criticisms?

This man has never heard of computer science.

Elaborate please.

Not responding the my own question of course, but here’s another youtube user who has a multi-part critique of the Austrian School http://www.youtube.com/user/AustrianCritique

It seems that the main arguments against Austrians are that:

a) they don’t use data or the scientific method

b) they are no better than a religion because they rely on belief and put theory above reality

c) they must be wrong because they’re not the mainstream

d) They use pre-scientific deductive reasoning with the idea of searching for support for a certain political viewpoint rather than the truth.

Have to say I find it funny that this guy’s comment and rate section are disabled as well.

He’s not caught up on contemporary philosophy. In the late 19th century, the trend in philosophy was against the rationalists. That only lasted for a while, and now the philosophy ball is back in their court. These things take time to trickle into other areas of study. I forget the name of the group of philosophers that were against the rationalists, but I’m pretty sure their work branched off from the empiricists.

Either way, he’s attacking AE for using logic by using logic. And in action and in essence, attacking logic.

He doesn’t understand science.

Science is what hangs together the empirical data and logic. It is rational. One needs a thought to be able to know the data.

What are the major shortcomings of other schools when it comes to how they handle data, the scientific method etc?

If by the scientific method he means logical positivism, then correct. But Austrian economics isn’t detached from the real world as it does involve data. Sounds like he might not know his own theory.

theory is how reality is known. theory is thought. Is he saying he doesn’t think, in other words, doesn’t realize data? you get my drift.

lol

propositions of deductive reasoning are prior to naming, meaning, the propositions are of the real world (external and internal) and then premised with conclusions in order to discover implications between the propositions. Those propositions occur due to evidential data and axioms. that is what finding truth is about.

lol… exactly[Y]

Found this, which allows ratings and comments.

"This video is bogus. In the spirit of the internet, I have re-posted it to allow comments and ratings… as naturally the origional video would have been 1 rated and tarnished with truth. Please rate this video as you see fit (1) and comment accordingly.

The Scientific method is the proper epistemology for the natural sciences, but not the social sciences. To find out why; read:

The Mantle of Science by Murray Rothbard
http://mises.org/rothbard/mantle.asp

What Is the Proper Way to Study Man? - Rothbard
http://mises.org/daily/3605

Praxeology: The Methodology of Austrian Economics
http://mises.org/rothbard/praxeology.pdf

Praxeology as the Method of the Social Sciences

Remember, the Austrian School of Economics was the only school of thought that has consistently predicted every crisis in this country over the last century. Why? Because it has the right methodology."

It’s an entirely new science based entirely on deductive reasoning that has made enormous technological progress possible.

How so? I know nothing of computer science.

And thanks Conza; I gave your video 5 stars.

He makes the faulty assumption that praxeology & economics and the physical sciences must attain their axioms via the same method. Like others have said, the former’s are already known before the fact. The axioms and its propositions deduced are tested by the laws of logic; they are universal and they are apodictically true. The latter’s axioms can’t be reached the same way. They have to hypothesize, isolate factors, experiment, and so on. With his dismissal of logic, it isn’t surprising he concludes with a fallacy ( “if the Austrians were indeed correct they would become well-known overnight”).

I believe the idea of the video poster, was to get others to rate it 1 stars… lol

I saw this long ago. He is an imbecile making the usual argument heard from the less refined socialists, the attempt to liken AE to religious faith. It is a complete lack of understanding of religion as much as science. Faith is belief based on preference, not belief based on poor method.