--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People have extreme beliefs about whether…" description: "\"People have extreme beliefs about whether it is right for humans to tamper with embryos in any way at all. Sometimes the values discussion gets conflat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/mark-walport-8347_faith_people-have-extreme-beliefs-about-whethe_2009521.jpg" --- # People have extreme beliefs about whether it is right for… ![“People have extreme beliefs about whether it is right for humans to tamper with embryos in any way at all. Sometimes the values discussion gets conflated with the science discussion. We shouldn't pretend we're having an argument about science when we're having an argument about values.” quote by Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/mark-walport-8347_faith_people-have-extreme-beliefs-about-whethe_2009521.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/mark-walport-8347_faith_people-have-extreme-beliefs-about-whethe_2009521.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/769/mark-walport-8347_faith_people-have-extreme-beliefs-about-whethe_2009521.jpg) > “People have extreme beliefs about whether it is right for humans to tamper with embryos in any way at all. Sometimes the values discussion gets conflated with the science discussion. We shouldn't pretend we're having an argument about science when we're having an argument about values.” [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He differentiates scientific facts from ethical values, urging clarity that debates on embryos involve moral considerations, not just data. **In simple terms:** Science and values are separate; discuss each clearly. Key Takeaway Separate facts from values in debates. Themes ethics science communication bioethics Mood analytical concerned Type educational policy‑oriented When to use this quote - ethics committees - legislative hearings - public forums Key Concepts moral philosophy public policy genetic research Questions to Reflect On - How can we improve dialogue between scientists and ethicists? - What frameworks help separate scientific data from moral judgment? A Different Perspective Complex issues may blur lines between facts and values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Embryos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embryos/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [Injection of environmental and political perspectives in midstream of the science discussion cannot help the process of inquiry. I believe that persons with relevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/injection-of-environmental-and-political-perspectives-in-midstream-of/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Science, by itself, cannot supply us with an ethic. It can show us how to achieve a given end, and it may show us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/science-by-itself-cannot-supply-us-with-an-ethic-it-can-show-us-how/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I began my career as a physicist. And in the White House, my buddies were the people from the White House office of science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/i-began-my-career-as-a-physicist-and-in-the-white-house-my-buddies/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) > [A remarkable tour de force that will hopefully end forever the argument that science and the spiritual are opposed to one another. This wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fadiman/a-remarkable-tour-de-force-that-will-hopefully-end-forever-the/) [James Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fadiman/) > [“So many women come to me saying, “I have lost too, and this one, and this one”. So many embryos retreat to flesh: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zo-brigley-thompson/so-many-women-come-to-me-saying-i-have-lost-too-and-this-one-and-this/) [Zoë Brigley (Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zo-brigley-thompson/) > [Indeed, religion allows people to imagine that their concerns are moral when they are highly immoral - that is, when pressing these concerns inflicts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/indeed-religion-allows-people-to-imagine-that-their-concerns-are/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [I'm still an embryo with a long long way to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-m-still-an-embryo-with-a-long-long-way-to-go/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Some teams have a nucleus to build around. The Falcons barely have an embryo. So if you see suspicious looking wires running from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-schultz/some-teams-have-a-nucleus-to-build-around-the-falcons-barely-have-an/) Jeff Schultz > [The bill would ban human cloning, and any attempts at human cloning, for both reproductive purposes and medical research. Also forbidden is the importing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-calvert/the-bill-would-ban-human-cloning-and-any-attempts-at-human-cloning/) [Ken Calvert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-calvert/) > [It is true that the Jewish tradition emphasizes the moral mandate to save life. It also has a different position from the Catholic Church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/it-is-true-that-the-jewish-tradition-emphasizes-the-moral-mandate-to/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/mark-how-fleeting-and-paltry-is-the-estate-of-man-yesterday-in-embryo/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [BTW A 24 week old embryo is not a human being. You're not a human being until you're in my phone book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/btw-a-24-week-old-embryo-is-not-a-human-being-you-re-not-a-human/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Patients' lives are more important than embryos. I do want to avoid the use of embryos if possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinya-yamanaka/patients-lives-are-more-important-than-embryos-i-do-want-to-avoid-the/) [Shinya Yamanaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinya-yamanaka/) > [To all conservative women out there: If you are so sure the embryo needed for stem cell research are precious human life that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-all-conservative-women-out-there-if-you-are-so-sure-the-embryo/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) ## More by Mark Walport > [Wellcome Trust focuses on supporting outstanding researchers, accelerating the application of research, and exploring medicine in historical and cultural contexts. We believe passionately that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/wellcome-trust-focuses-on-supporting-outstanding-researchers/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [In the case of health information, I spent twenty-five years practicing medicine, and I was all too familiar with the fact that information wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/in-the-case-of-health-information-i-spent-twenty-five-years/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [We owe it to ourselves and to our policy makers to have a high standard of public debate about the future of our energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/we-owe-it-to-ourselves-and-to-our-policy-makers-to-have-a-high/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Distributed ledgers are inherently harder to attack because instead of a single database, there are multiple shared copies of the same database, so a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/distributed-ledgers-are-inherently-harder-to-attack-because-instead/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [If you look at U.K. science, we collaborate with people across the whole world, and it's extremely important we continue to do so in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/if-you-look-at-u-k-science-we-collaborate-with-people-across-the/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [The European Parliament must send a clear sign that it recognises the importance of embryonic stem cell research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/the-european-parliament-must-send-a-clear-sign-that-it-recognises-the/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [The government is right to recognise the importance of science and technology, but I think it is a mistake to ringfence funds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/the-government-is-right-to-recognise-the-importance-of-science-and/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [One has to understand the functioning of the normal brain before studying the badly malfunctioning brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/one-has-to-understand-the-functioning-of-the-normal-brain-before/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [When governments work well, they safeguard citizens' health, well-being, resilience and security, and they increase prosperity. To do this, they must respond effectively to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/when-governments-work-well-they-safeguard-citizens-health-well-being/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Science, engineering, and technology have transformed the infrastructure of the modern world and have a vital role to play at the heart of policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/science-engineering-and-technology-have-transformed-the/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Public trust is a vital condition for artificial intelligence to be used productively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/public-trust-is-a-vital-condition-for-artificial-intelligence-to-be/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Of course methane is a fossil fuel, but as long as it is burned efficiently and fugitive emissions of methane gas are minimised, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/of-course-methane-is-a-fossil-fuel-but-as-long-as-it-is-burned/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [We take it for granted that because our shelves and supermarkets are heaving with food that there are no problems with food security. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/we-take-it-for-granted-that-because-our-shelves-and-supermarkets-are/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Forensic science offers great potential, as it draws on almost every discipline and, in doing so, creates widespread opportunity for innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/forensic-science-offers-great-potential-as-it-draws-on-almost-every/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Cities are central to the shaping and delivery of national policy objectives, and in return, they are the places where social, environmental, and economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/cities-are-central-to-the-shaping-and-delivery-of-national-policy/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) [Explore all 81 Mark Walport quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) ## More Embryos quotes > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [To all conservative women out there: If you are so sure the embryo needed for stem cell research are precious human life that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-all-conservative-women-out-there-if-you-are-so-sure-the-embryo/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Patients' lives are more important than embryos. I do want to avoid the use of embryos if possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinya-yamanaka/patients-lives-are-more-important-than-embryos-i-do-want-to-avoid-the/) [Shinya Yamanaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinya-yamanaka/) > [BTW A 24 week old embryo is not a human being. You're not a human being until you're in my phone book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/btw-a-24-week-old-embryo-is-not-a-human-being-you-re-not-a-human/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Mark how fleeting and paltry is the estate of man-yesterday in embryo, tomorrow a mummy or ashes. So for the hairsbreadth of time assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/mark-how-fleeting-and-paltry-is-the-estate-of-man-yesterday-in-embryo/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [It is true that the Jewish tradition emphasizes the moral mandate to save life. It also has a different position from the Catholic Church…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sandel/it-is-true-that-the-jewish-tradition-emphasizes-the-moral-mandate-to/) [Michael Sandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sandel/) > [The bill would ban human cloning, and any attempts at human cloning, for both reproductive purposes and medical research. Also forbidden is the importing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-calvert/the-bill-would-ban-human-cloning-and-any-attempts-at-human-cloning/) [Ken Calvert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-calvert/) > [Some teams have a nucleus to build around. The Falcons barely have an embryo. So if you see suspicious looking wires running from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-schultz/some-teams-have-a-nucleus-to-build-around-the-falcons-barely-have-an/) Jeff Schultz > [I'm still an embryo with a long long way to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-m-still-an-embryo-with-a-long-long-way-to-go/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Indeed, religion allows people to imagine that their concerns are moral when they are highly immoral - that is, when pressing these concerns inflicts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/indeed-religion-allows-people-to-imagine-that-their-concerns-are/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“So many women come to me saying, “I have lost too, and this one, and this one”. So many embryos retreat to flesh: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zo-brigley-thompson/so-many-women-come-to-me-saying-i-have-lost-too-and-this-one-and-this/) [Zoë Brigley (Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zo-brigley-thompson/) > [Physical existence is so cramped.We grow old and bent over like embryos.Nine months passes;it is time to be born. The lamb wants to graze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/physical-existence-is-so-cramped-we-grow-old-and-bent-over-like/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [For me, moral questions such as stem-cell research turn upon whether suffering is caused. In this case, clearly none is. The embryos have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/for-me-moral-questions-such-as-stem-cell-research-turn-upon-whether/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What it gives any human being a right to - to pick and choose which embryo - which fetus is more valuable than another.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadya-suleman/what-it-gives-any-human-being-a-right-to-to-pick-and-choose-which/) [Nadya Suleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadya-suleman/) > [Even in civilized communities, the embryo man passes through the hunter stage of development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/even-in-civilized-communities-the-embryo-man-passes-through-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 119 Embryos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embryos/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People have extreme beliefs about whether it is right for humans to tamper with embryos in any way at all. 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