A relevant and controversial question for modern nations with highly-developed, government-funded research programs is the issue of how much freedom the government should give to these research groups to pursue any type of research. Should their research programs be highly restricted, or should they be given free rein? In the next couple paragraphs, I will present a couple different considerations to argue that a balance between these two extremes can be made to encourage the highest class of scientific achievements while safeguarding individual rights and following ethical codes.
In general, freedom from restrictions facilitates original research, since controlling the specific trajectory of research, its future goals and timelines, and a strict funding cap will preclude scientists from researching tangential topics as required to accomplish a specific project. For example, in the pre-WWII defense industry, it could have been argued by government officials that a seemingly-futile and cost-prohibitive research program into nuclear fission would yield no lasting accomplishments. Although the development of the atomic bomb took multiple years and engaged some of the brightest minds, the result was a weapon that greatly contributed to the victory of the US over Japan, and the ultimate termination of the bloody war. The saving of a million US men from their future demise in Japan largely stemmed from the freedom and full backing of the US government for its researchers, regardless of their chosen research path.
Conversely, total freedom for scientific researchers is undesirable and unethical in some cases. A glaring and unfortunate example can be seen from the Nazi government. Many unfortunate stories of medical and scientific research performed on prisoners in Nazi concentration camps emerged after WWII. In these cases, no type of research was deemed off-limits, even if it violated basic principles of ethics, justice, and international war codes. Another controversial example of scientific research occurred in the use of monkeys as test subjects for novel drugs and medical procedures. There was apparently no restriction on this type of research at the time, although the majority opinion of today would consider this research to be unethical and cruel in the way it was performed.
To summarize, although the total absence of government restrictions on scientific research has resulted in dark tales of monstrosities and cruelty, the freedom given to research groups, especially in the US, has resulted in the greatest era of scientific achievement in human history. By only enforcing basic restrictions safeguarding individuals’ rights to ethical treatment, the government can ensure that research groups have the freedom to pursue their research as they see fit, and that the sad tales of unrestricted research in the past will not be repeated.