October 26, 2015

Incoherence as second nature

Comment on 'Economics, concepts, language and the progress of science'

Blog-Reference

In order to get out of eternal wish-wash, the progress of science requires a consistent set of concepts.

“The often heard rule that concepts are to be defined before they are used in a discussion is much too simple minded pre-Hilbertian. The only way to arrive at coherent languages is to set up axiomatic systems implicitly defining the basic concepts.” (Schmiechen)

The use of the word unemployment is a pertinent example of incoherent thinking and talking which is indeed second nature to the representative economist.*

Egmont Kakarot-Handtke

* For the new axiomatic approach see cross-references Curriculum