Allais' Restatement of the Quantity Theory: Reply
Abstract
The theories that summarize the state of our scientific knowledge are no doubt necessary vehicles for that knowledge. They should also provide support for further investigations of new ideas. But neither the theories nor the ideas are immutable: we must always be prepared to abandon, modify or replace them as soon as they no longer represent reality properly. In a word, theory must be adapted to fit nature: nature cannot be adapted to fit theory.... It follows that when a scientific idea has been put forward, the aim should not be to preserve it by seeking support for it at all cost, while discarding everything that might tend to invalidate it. The opposite should govern our behavior. The facts that seem to upset a theory should be examined with the greatest care, for real progress always consists of relinquishing an earlier theory which covers fewer fact.s by another of more extensive scope.
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