Phlogiston, or how I completely degenerated Engels' idea of Scientific rigor July 17, 2008

While in everyday life, in view of the simplicity of the relations which come into question, expressions like right, wrong, justice, conception of justice, can be used without misunderstanding even in relation to social matters, they create, as we have seen, hopeless confusion in any scientific investigation of economic relations, in fact, much the same confusion as would be create in modern chemistry if the terminology of the phlogiston theory were to be retained. The confusion becomes still worse if one, like Proudhon, believes in this social phlogiston, “justice,” or if one, like Mulberger, declares that the phlogiston theory no less than the oxygen theory is perfectly correct.

Regarding the name of my old blog, it might be a good idea to heed good old General’s words.

Editor’s note, a decade later: General is Engels’ nickname, the quote is from the Housing Question, apparently felt no need to cite the page, unfortunately, I have no time to rehash that great work of his.