Economistes ruraux et essais de prospective

Agricultural economists are observers of the possibilities and the limits of Industrial Societies. But the complexity of the subject of their study leads them to beware of too sweeping generalisations and they tend to mistrut the taking up of too categorial stands. After criticising the myths growing up around the themes of pollution or of the reform of production units, the author criticises « scientist » myths themselves and stresses the fact that sciences are human creations to serve human designs. Nevertheless, the power derived from systems backed up by the sciences can be controlled only by real scientific knowledge ; agricultural economists are then called upon make their contribution to an epistemology which is itself an experimental science.