---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In scientific matters there was a common…"
description: "\"In scientific matters there was a common language and one standard of values; in moral and political problems there were many. … Furthermore, in scienc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/098/emilio-g-segre-72287_affair_in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common_2478339.jpg"
---

#  In scientific matters there was a common language and one…

![“In scientific matters there was a common language and one standard of values; in moral and political problems there were many. … Furthermore, in science there is a court of last resort, experiment, which is unavailable in human affairs.” quote by Emilio G. Segre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/098/emilio-g-segre-72287_affair_in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common_2478339.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/098/emilio-g-segre-72287_affair_in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common_2478339.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/098/emilio-g-segre-72287_affair_in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common_2478339.jpg)

> “In scientific matters there was a common language and one standard of values; in moral and political problems there were many. … Furthermore, in science there is a court of last resort, experiment, which is unavailable in human affairs.”

Emilio G. Segre

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Science uses shared methods and values; moral/political issues lack a universal arbiter like experiment.

**In simple terms:** Science has common standards; ethics don’t.

Key Takeaway

Recognize different validation tools for facts vs. values.

Themes

science ethics methodology politics

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy making
- education
- research design
- public discourse

Key Concepts

normative theory empiricism

Questions to Reflect On

- Can scientific rigor be applied to ethics?
- What replaces experiments in moral debates?

A Different Perspective

Moral judgments often rely on cultural consensus, not empirical proof.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Atomic bomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atomic-bomb/) [Common language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-language/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Last resort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-resort/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Resorts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resorts/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/)

## Related quotes

> [When it comes to scientific matters the ready talkers simply run riot. There are a lot of pseudo-scientists who with a little technical jargon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/when-it-comes-to-scientific-matters-the-ready-talkers-simply-run-riot/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [Whether you listen to a piece of music, or a poem, or look at a picture or a jug, or a piece of sculpture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-bunting/whether-you-listen-to-a-piece-of-music-or-a-poem-or-look-at-a-picture/)

[Basil Bunting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-bunting/)

> [Art is not and never has been subordinate to moral values. Moral values are social values; aesthetic values are human values. Morality seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-read/art-is-not-and-never-has-been-subordinate-to-moral-values-moral/)

[Herbert Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-read/)

> [The Bush Administration do have moral values. Their moral values are very explicit: shine the boots of the rich and the powerful, kick everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-bush-administration-do-have-moral-values-their-moral-values-are/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Today, the UK must be the pioneer of a new model of economic change, that integrates social and environmental consideration. This is not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miliband/today-the-uk-must-be-the-pioneer-of-a-new-model-of-economic-change/)

[David Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miliband/)

> [“When it comes to leaders we have, if anything, a superabundance—hundreds of Pied Pipers…ready and anxious to lead the population. They are scurrying around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-w-tuchman/when-it-comes-to-leaders-we-have-if-anything-a-superabundance/)

[Barbara W. Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-w-tuchman/)

> [Two years ago I was on the train from Berlin to Frankfurt when I heard that the Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liao-yiwu/two-years-ago-i-was-on-the-train-from-berlin-to-frankfurt-when-i/)

[Liao Yiwu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liao-yiwu/)

> [“There’s a difference, in other words, between God’s values that please Him (moral will) and those events that He causes to happen (decreed will).15”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-chan/there-s-a-difference-in-other-words-between-god-s-values-that-please/)

[Francis Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-chan/)

> [We seem to be afflicted by a widespread and eroding reluctance to take any stand on any values, moral, behavioral or esthetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/we-seem-to-be-afflicted-by-a-widespread-and-eroding-reluctance-to/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [In an enterprise such as the building of the atomic bomb the difference between ideas, hopes, suggestions and theoretical calculations, and solid numbers based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/in-an-enterprise-such-as-the-building-of-the-atomic-bomb-the/)

Emilio G. Segre

> [If some nuclear properties of the heavy elements had been a little different from what they turned out to be, it might have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/if-some-nuclear-properties-of-the-heavy-elements-had-been-a-little/)

Emilio G. Segre

> [In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution is a moral &amp; political evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/in-this-enlightened-age-there-are-few-i-believe-but-what-will/)

[Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/)

> [I don't consider myself a teacher of moral and political positions. I don't want to be that. I can't help but have a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-don-t-consider-myself-a-teacher-of-moral-and-political-positions-i/)

[Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/)

> [Let us wage a moral and political war against the gross wealth and income inequality... ...let us understand that when we stand together, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/let-us-wage-a-moral-and-political-war-against-the-gross-wealth-and/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [Environmental history was . . . born out of a moral purpose, with strong political commitments behind it, but also became, as it matured,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-worster/environmental-history-was-born-out-of-a-moral-purpose-with-strong/)

[Donald Worster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-worster/)

## More by Emilio G. Segre

> [If some nuclear properties of the heavy elements had been a little different from what they turned out to be, it might have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/if-some-nuclear-properties-of-the-heavy-elements-had-been-a-little/)

Emilio G. Segre

> [In an enterprise such as the building of the atomic bomb the difference between ideas, hopes, suggestions and theoretical calculations, and solid numbers based…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/in-an-enterprise-such-as-the-building-of-the-atomic-bomb-the/)

Emilio G. Segre

> [ She \[Chien-Shiung Wu\] is a slave driver. She is the image of the militant woman so well known in Chinese literature as either empress… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/she-chien-shiung-wu-is-a-slave-driver-she-is-the-image-of-the/)

Emilio G. Segre

Explore all 4 Emilio G. Segre quotes

## More Affair quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/)

[Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/)

> [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

Michael Atherton

> [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/)

[Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/)

> [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In scientific matters there was a common language and one standard of values; in moral and political problems there were many. … Furthermore, in science there is a court of last resort, experiment, which is unavailable in human affairs.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emilio G. Segre"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common-language-and-one-standard-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affair"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common-language-and-one-standard-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/098/emilio-g-segre-72287_affair_in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common_2478339.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/098/emilio-g-segre-72287_affair_in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common_2478339.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/098/emilio-g-segre-72287_affair_in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common_2478339.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In scientific matters there was a common language and one standard of values; in moral and political…” — Emilio G. Segre",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Emilio G. Segre",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilio-g-segre/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In scientific matters there was a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common-language-and-one-standard-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilio-g-segre/in-scientific-matters-there-was-a-common-language-and-one-standard-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
