More on the consensus of Economists

I was randomly browsing this morning, and I came across Castles of Sand by Mansized Target. Literally random, I clicked the link by picking up the laptop and hitting the touchpad. I am comforted that others have suspicions too.

Consider the view of economists on something like free trade, for example.  The free trade theory–a theory of comparative advantage–has been elaborated on by such diverse economists as Adam Smith and Ludwig von Mises.  But respond that a particular country did well and prospered under protectionism–such as the US in the late 19th Century–and they will say that the country would have done even better with looser tariffs.  Perhaps.  But what fact would prove or disprove this theory?  What kind of theory is it that can absorb any data set and not be adjusted thereby?  This is not real scientific inquiry.  It’s ideology . . . or religion.