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Bioethics has evolved as an academic field primarily associated with Philosophy and to a lesser extent Law. However, as with any ethical field of study we ought to be concerned if it begins to be monopolised by a particular academic discipline or tradition within a discipline. One might argue that the problems addressed by contemporary bioethics are of such importance that they should be opened up as objects for a pluralistic array of disciplines and approaches.
Recently, both sociological and anthropological approaches have developed a presence within bioethics, and, moreover, researchers within these disciplines have a history of investigating bioethical subjects which is not always recognised by mainstream bioethics. Additionally other related disciplines such as the history of science, cultural studies and feminist science studies all play an important role in understanding bioethical issues, as well as making important contributions to their ethical debate. These other approaches also impinge on the kinds of methodologies practised by bioethicists, for example, what is the role of empirical research and ethnography in bioethical research? Sociology specifically, has an important critical tradition which lends itself not only to ethical debates, but also to the questioning of the terms of those very debates.
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