# Links # References # Flawed Assumptions [A flawed assumption is a premise used in a logical argument that is either factually incorrect or logically inconsistent. (Check *Brainpower* by Karl Albrecht for the accuracy of this definition. ] History has had long periods in which people lived happily with assumptions about their world that later proved flawed or in error. For a long time, our ancestors lived on a planet that resided at the center of the universe. Claudius Ptolemy (2nd-century astronomer) even built an elaborate model that fairly accurately depicted the motion of the planets and the sun **around the earth**. Even after Copernicus pointed out the flaws in that model, it took over 100 years to accept that truth. People accepted Issac Newton's theories of gravity as gospel for, again, over 100 years. Albert Einstein eventually pointed out that the instantaneous speed of the gravitational force at the core of Newton's theories violated the universal speed limit of light—as theorized by Einstein himself. From that premise, he developed his general theory of relativity. The belief in socialism provides the crowning example of the longevity of flawed thinking in economics. Those who continue to advocate for socialism argue, "Socialism would work, if it were just done right." They ignore the empirical evidence that socialism has not worked and the theoretical proof that it **cannot** work.