If you ever listen to Thiel/Weinstein talk about the current lack of growth in much of the sciences, you may be inclined to believe that we are woefully overcautious in our medical experimentation currently. The FDA does a critical job, but many believe (including myself) that it is too overoptimized for avoiding bad headlines. The balance of risk is perhaps not appropriately there.

When you look at China, there exists a number of more wild experiments. Sean Parker looked at the CRISPR twins as a "Sputnik" moment in science. While that procedure has numerous valid criticisms, how can we in the west constructively move towards accepting more risk to promote more innovation?

I believe that China has a larger appetite for more risk in science, but they may not have a culture/politics that optimizes for "Screw the established thought! I have this new crazy idea!" kind of mentality which is potentially integral for medical advancement.

How can the west promote further scientific innovation to break out of this stagnating hump? No political party is currently having this discussion. Republicans may be more likely to deregulate and get out of the way, but simultaneously want to defund the NIH and NSF (critical sources of funding for basic research). Democrats may be more willing to spend on research, but do not consider the threat that regulations can have on innovation (ex. Company tries something innovative, something goes wrong, democrats may easily mark it into the narrative of corporate greed experimenting on patients. Bernie Sanders was one of the few senators who voted against the 21st century cures act).

How can the west move forward?