"All science is based on models, and every scientific model comprises three distinct stages: statement of well-defined hypotheses; deduction of all the consequences of these hypotheses, and nothing but these consequences; confrontation of these consequences with observed data." (Maurice Allais, "An Outline of My Main Contributions to Economic Science", [Noble lecture] 1988)
"However, mathematics is not and cannot be anything more than a tool, and all my work rests on the conviction that, in its use, the only two really fruitful stages in the scientific approach are, firstly, a thorough examination of the initial hypotheses; and secondly, a discussion of the meaning and empirical relevance of the results obtained. What remains is but tautological calculation, which is of interest only to the mathematician, and the mathematical rigour of the reasoning can never justify a theory based on postulates if these postulates do not correspond to the true nature of the observed phenomena." (Maurice Allais, "An Outline of My Main Contributions to Economic Science", [Noble lecture] 1988)
"My approach has never been to start from theories to arrive at facts, but on the contrary, to try to bring out from the facts the explanatory thread without which they appear incomprehensible and elude effective action." (Maurice Allais, "An Outline of My Main Contributions to Economic Science", [Noble lecture] 1988)
"The mathematical theories generally called 'mathematical theories of chance' actually ignore chance, uncertainty and probability. The models they consider are purely deterministic, and the quantities they study are, in the final analysis, no more than the mathematical frequencies of particular configurations, among all equally possible configurations, the calculation of which is based on combinatorial analysis. In reality, no axiomatic definition of chance is conceivable." (Maurice Allais, "An Outline of My Main Contributions to Economic Science", [Noble lecture] 1988)
"The model and the theory it represents must be accepted, at least temporarily, or rejected, depending on the agreement or disagreement between observed data and the hypotheses and implications of the model. When neither the hypotheses nor the implications of a theory can be confronted with the real world, that theory is devoid of any scientific interest. Mere logical, even mathematical, deduction remains worthless in terms of the understanding of reality if it is not closely linked to that reality." (Maurice Allais, "An Outline of My Main Contributions to Economic Science", [Noble lecture] 1988)
"The use of even the most sophisticated forms of mathematics can never be considered as a guarantee of quality. Mathematics is, and can only be, a means of expression and reasoning. The real substance on which the economist works remains economic and social. Indeed, one must avoid the development of a complex mathematical apparatus whenever it is not strictly indispensable. Genuine progress never consists in a purely formal exposition, but always in the discovery of the guiding ideas which underlie any proof. It is these basic ideas which must be explicitly stated and discussed." (Maurice Allais, "An Outline of My Main Contributions to Economic Science", [Noble lecture] 1988)
"The submission to observed or experimental data is the golden rule which dominates any scientific discipline. Any theory whatever, if it is not verified by empirical evidence, has no scientific value and should be rejected. This is true, for example, of the contemporary theories of general economic equilibrium." (Maurice Allais, "An Outline of My Main Contributions to Economic Science", [Noble lecture] 1988)
"Submission to the experimental data is the golden rule that dominates any scientific discipline." (Maurice Allais, [speech] 1993)
"A theory is only as good as its assumptions. If the premises are false, the theory has no real scientific value. The only scientific criterion for judging the validity of a scientific theory is a confrontation with the data of experience." (Maurice Allais, "L'anisotropie de l'espace", 1997)
"Any author who uses mathematics should always express in ordinary language the meaning of the assumptions he admits, as well as the significance of the results obtained. The more abstract his theory, the more imperative this obligation. In fact, mathematics are and can only be a tool to explore reality. In this exploration, mathematics do not constitute an end in itself, they are and can only be a means." (Maurice Allais, "La formation scientifique" 1997)
"Too many theorists have a tendency to ignore facts that contradict their convictions." (Maurice Allais, "L'anisotropie de l'espace", 1997)
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