Perhaps, it comes down to trying to make universal unified field theory of voluntary and involuntary exchange. Deals, contracts and agreements go quite differently when there is a gun to somebody’s head, don’t they?

Part of the disconnect here is probably that economics has come to include pretty much all of what Mises referred to as praxeology, but in his day it only encompassed what he called catallactics.

Undisciplined

econ

Are Pro-Natalists the Real Malthusians?

Rothbardian_fanatic

You could say praxeology is applicable to many more areas than just catallactics. The Austrians cast a wider net than just historical data moulded into models. As you say, they will use historical models to emphasize a point, though.