OK, that needs some explanation. First, my DVD drive:
Einstein discovered the principle of Light Amplification by Simulated Emission of Radiation (LASER, of course) while working on another problem. A few decades later his work was demonstrated to be correct when the first functional laser was built. Einstein's claim to truth is irrefutable, as are the claims of subsequent scientists and engineers who gradually refined the understanding of the concept until my DVD drive could be mass produced and sold to me.
What about communism? Well, economics is something of a science, but it's not a terribly successful one. Communism is a failure precisely because economic principles are not well enough understood to construct powerful and useful technologies for planning and coordinating the efforts of millions of people. Economics doesn't have a LASER equivalent. But, even though economics has not produced a lot of useful or even agreed upon knowledge, there are still many economists who have a need to publish in order to move their careers along. I think this is at the heart of what Eric Falkenstein is criticizing.
But why attack scientists altogether? To my mind, there is a genuine distinction between the hard and soft sciences, and that distinction is most visible in the technologies that emerge, or fail to emerge, from the knowledge that various kinds of scientists produce. After all, the purpose behind science isn't only to gain understanding, but to gain useful understanding that can be applied to better our lot.There's no need to conflate physicists with economists when their relative accomplishments are so distinct.
Alas, Eric doesn't note the distinction, and instead slanders 'physical' scientists while levying accurate criticisms against economists and other 'social' scientists. Maybe he does this because he's not prepared to countenance the disparity.
