I agree with your first paragraph, and (in case it was unclear) my point was that the only support you offered for “well argued” over merely “elaborate and detailed” as a description of Marx and Freud was (1) to say that they wrote a lot of intricately-argued stuff and (2) to reiterate the claim that it was rigorous.
I don’t have the impression that Freud’s theories have sustained the agreement of a large minority of serious intellectuals and academics for more than a century. I could agree with half a century, maybe a little more, and that’s certainly more influence than most of us will ever have—but I don’t see why it constitutes strong evidence of rigour.
Likewise, I think, for Marx. His theories have of course been widely endorsed by people in countries where they formed a quasi-religious orthodoxy, but outside those countries it’s been only a small minority (hasn’t it?) who have accepted Marxism as a whole. Plenty more have agreed that he got some things right, but getting some things right is another achievement that surely isn’t very strong evidence of rigour.
I agree with your first paragraph, and (in case it was unclear) my point was that the only support you offered for “well argued” over merely “elaborate and detailed” as a description of Marx and Freud was (1) to say that they wrote a lot of intricately-argued stuff and (2) to reiterate the claim that it was rigorous.
I don’t have the impression that Freud’s theories have sustained the agreement of a large minority of serious intellectuals and academics for more than a century. I could agree with half a century, maybe a little more, and that’s certainly more influence than most of us will ever have—but I don’t see why it constitutes strong evidence of rigour.
Likewise, I think, for Marx. His theories have of course been widely endorsed by people in countries where they formed a quasi-religious orthodoxy, but outside those countries it’s been only a small minority (hasn’t it?) who have accepted Marxism as a whole. Plenty more have agreed that he got some things right, but getting some things right is another achievement that surely isn’t very strong evidence of rigour.