---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We slow the progress of science today for…"
description: "\"We slow the progress of science today for all sorts of ethical reasons. Biomedicine could advance much faster if we abolished our rules on human experi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/paul-nitze-49878_clinical-trials_we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-fo_964170.jpg"
---

#  We slow the progress of science today for all sorts of…

![“We slow the progress of science today for all sorts of ethical reasons. Biomedicine could advance much faster if we abolished our rules on human experimentation in clinical trials, as Nazi researchers did.” quote by Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/paul-nitze-49878_clinical-trials_we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-fo_964170.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/paul-nitze-49878_clinical-trials_we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-fo_964170.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/paul-nitze-49878_clinical-trials_we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-fo_964170.jpg)

> “We slow the progress of science today for all sorts of ethical reasons. Biomedicine could advance much faster if we abolished our rules on human experimentation in clinical trials, as Nazi researchers did.”

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

## About This Quote

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

Advocating removal of ethical constraints could accelerate biomedical breakthroughs but ignores moral responsibilities.

**In simple terms:** Removing ethics could speed science but risks harm.

Key Takeaway

Balance progress with ethical safeguards.

Themes

ethics science policy risk progress

Mood

concerned critical

Type

ethical political

When to use this quote

- clinical research
- drug development
- public health policy
- government regulation

Key Concepts

bioethics human rights regulation

Questions to Reflect On

- Is faster progress worth potential harm?
- How to ensure ethical oversight?

A Different Perspective

Speed may lead to abuse and loss of public trust.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clinical trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinical-trials/) [Experimentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experimentation/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazi/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/)

## Related quotes

> [“More generally, it is widely recognized that there is a crisis in the field of biomedicine, characterized by a “culture of hyper-competitiveness.” In this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-c-kabat/more-generally-it-is-widely-recognized-that-there-is-a-crisis-in-the/)

Geoffrey C Kabat

> [When a company is fairly certain of a profit margin that is substantial, it can assume responsibility for the clinical trials to develop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-company-is-fairly-certain-of-a-profit-margin-that-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ A review of seventy-four clinical trials of antidepressants, for example, found that thirty-seven of thirty-eight positive studies \[that praised the drugs\] were published. But… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/a-review-of-seventy-four-clinical-trials-of-antidepressants-for/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [The statistical method is required in the interpretation of figures which are at the mercy of numerous influences, and its object is to determine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-bradford-hill/the-statistical-method-is-required-in-the-interpretation-of-figures/)

Austin Bradford Hill

> [We are grateful to the Liberian people who volunteered for this important clinical trial and encouraged by the study results seen with the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-s-fauci/we-are-grateful-to-the-liberian-people-who-volunteered-for-this/)

[Anthony S. Fauci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-s-fauci/)

> [I'm on the Sensa diet. It's a little magic powder based on Dr. Hirsh's clinical trials and studies and it basically signals the brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-stanger/i-m-on-the-sensa-diet-it-s-a-little-magic-powder-based-on-dr-hirsh-s/)

[Patti Stanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-stanger/)

> [My goals over the decade include to develop new drugs to treat intractable diseases by using iPS cell technology and to conduct clinical trials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinya-yamanaka/my-goals-over-the-decade-include-to-develop-new-drugs-to-treat/)

[Shinya Yamanaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinya-yamanaka/)

> [I think the biggest problem in clinical trials is that they are underpowered. And that fundamentally, the studies are just too small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-wojcicki/i-think-the-biggest-problem-in-clinical-trials-is-that-they-are/)

[Anne Wojcicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-wojcicki/)

> [I am not against the pharmaceutical companies. I love them. That's not the issue. The issue is, in some cases, when they do these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-d-deangelis/i-am-not-against-the-pharmaceutical-companies-i-love-them-that-s-not/)

Catherine D. DeAngelis

> [ When a drug comes out \[that's broadly prescribed\] there are going to start to be a lot of people on it \[in a million… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/when-a-drug-comes-out-that-s-broadly-prescribed-there-are-going-to/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [If we are to believe the evidence from clinical trials there are many effective pharmacological and psychological treatments for mental illness. Epidemiological data, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bentall/if-we-are-to-believe-the-evidence-from-clinical-trials-there-are-many/)

[Richard Bentall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bentall/)

> [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/)

[Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/)

> [I like greenery, nature, I don't like littering the streets. The progress of science and technology comes at a cost and I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupam-roy/i-like-greenery-nature-i-don-t-like-littering-the-streets-the/)

[Anupam Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupam-roy/)

> [But weightier still are the contentment which comes from work well done, the sense of the value of science for its own sake, insatiable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-joseph-henderson/but-weightier-still-are-the-contentment-which-comes-from-work-well/)

[Lawrence Joseph Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-joseph-henderson/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

## More by Paul Nitze

> [The ultimate goal of the whole policy of peaceful co-existence was to make progress on the basic goal laid down by Lenin of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-whole-policy-of-peaceful-co-existence-was-to/)

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

> [Soviets always use words which mean almost the reverse of what they mean to us. So peaceful co-existence does not in any way mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/soviets-always-use-words-which-mean-almost-the-reverse-of-what-they/)

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

> [With respect to the situation in Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, in both countries the Soviet Union had been working hard to create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/with-respect-to-the-situation-in-ethiopia-and-the-horn-of-africa-in/)

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

> [Based on a detailed investigation of all the facts and supported by the testimony of the surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/based-on-a-detailed-investigation-of-all-the-facts-and-supported-by/)

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

> [One of the most dangerous forms of human error is forgetting what one is trying to achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/one-of-the-most-dangerous-forms-of-human-error-is-forgetting-what-one/)

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

> [The fact is, I see no compelling reason why we should not unilaterally get rid of our nuclear weapons. To maintain them is costly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/the-fact-is-i-see-no-compelling-reason-why-we-should-not-unilaterally/)

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

[Explore all 7 Paul Nitze quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

## More Clinical trials quotes

> [If we are to believe the evidence from clinical trials there are many effective pharmacological and psychological treatments for mental illness. Epidemiological data, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bentall/if-we-are-to-believe-the-evidence-from-clinical-trials-there-are-many/)

[Richard Bentall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bentall/)

> [ When a drug comes out \[that's broadly prescribed\] there are going to start to be a lot of people on it \[in a million… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/when-a-drug-comes-out-that-s-broadly-prescribed-there-are-going-to/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [I am not against the pharmaceutical companies. I love them. That's not the issue. The issue is, in some cases, when they do these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-d-deangelis/i-am-not-against-the-pharmaceutical-companies-i-love-them-that-s-not/)

Catherine D. DeAngelis

> [I think the biggest problem in clinical trials is that they are underpowered. And that fundamentally, the studies are just too small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-wojcicki/i-think-the-biggest-problem-in-clinical-trials-is-that-they-are/)

[Anne Wojcicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-wojcicki/)

> [My goals over the decade include to develop new drugs to treat intractable diseases by using iPS cell technology and to conduct clinical trials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinya-yamanaka/my-goals-over-the-decade-include-to-develop-new-drugs-to-treat/)

[Shinya Yamanaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinya-yamanaka/)

> [I'm on the Sensa diet. It's a little magic powder based on Dr. Hirsh's clinical trials and studies and it basically signals the brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-stanger/i-m-on-the-sensa-diet-it-s-a-little-magic-powder-based-on-dr-hirsh-s/)

[Patti Stanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-stanger/)

> [We are grateful to the Liberian people who volunteered for this important clinical trial and encouraged by the study results seen with the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-s-fauci/we-are-grateful-to-the-liberian-people-who-volunteered-for-this/)

[Anthony S. Fauci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-s-fauci/)

> [The statistical method is required in the interpretation of figures which are at the mercy of numerous influences, and its object is to determine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-bradford-hill/the-statistical-method-is-required-in-the-interpretation-of-figures/)

Austin Bradford Hill

> [ A review of seventy-four clinical trials of antidepressants, for example, found that thirty-seven of thirty-eight positive studies \[that praised the drugs\] were published. But… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-angell/a-review-of-seventy-four-clinical-trials-of-antidepressants-for/)

[Marcia Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-angell/)

> [When a company is fairly certain of a profit margin that is substantial, it can assume responsibility for the clinical trials to develop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-company-is-fairly-certain-of-a-profit-margin-that-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 11 Clinical trials quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinical-trials/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We slow the progress of science today for all sorts of ethical reasons. Biomedicine could advance much faster if we abolished our rules on human experimentation in clinical trials, as Nazi researchers did.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Nitze"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-for-all-sorts-of-ethical/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Clinical trials"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-for-all-sorts-of-ethical/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/paul-nitze-49878_clinical-trials_we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-fo_964170.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/paul-nitze-49878_clinical-trials_we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-fo_964170.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/paul-nitze-49878_clinical-trials_we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-fo_964170.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We slow the progress of science today for all sorts of ethical reasons. Biomedicine could advance much…” — Paul Nitze",
                "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": "Paul Nitze",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We slow the progress of science...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-for-all-sorts-of-ethical/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-for-all-sorts-of-ethical/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
