Nuanced Appraisal of Caplan's Thoughts and Observations

Nuanced Appraisal Essay
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Caplan's Thoughts and Observations
In the article "The Birth and Evolution of Biometrics," Caplan (2009) investigates the origins and advancement of bioethics as a discipline of study. Caplan (2009) traces the roots of bioethics and asserts that they emerged in the 1960s and 70s, a period categorized by increased ethical considerations and questions accrued by the growing medical technology and research then. Caplan (2009) identifies the contribution of essential people like Paul Ramsey, Beauchamp and Childress, and Van Rensselaer Potter, who significantly contributed to establishing bioethics as a distinct field of study. The appraisal of the article is thorough and nuanced and offers readers extensive and comprehensive insights concerning the origins and critical advancements of the bioethics field. Caplan (2009) argues that bioethics began as a subject responding to concerns and questions about medical research and technology's ethical implications. Over time as the discipline advanced, it started to address broader aspects of problems and questions of ethical implications like those concerning environmental health, animal welfare, and public health.
Caplan (2009) draws the strength of his article by critically focusing on the political and social context in whence the field of bioethics emerged. The article mentions that such movements as anti-war, civil rights, and women's movements have affected the growth and advancement of bioethics by testing traditional ideologies of expertise and authority. Caplan (2009) also in the article discusses the effects of government or state regulations, for instance, the National Research Act of 1974, that established the National Commission to protect human subjects of behavioral and biomedical research. The commission contributed immensely to creating and framing ethical standards and considerations that guide biomedical and behavioral research involving human subjects.
Moreover, Caplan's (2009) article is significant in its discussion of various bioethics approaches that have emerged and continue to evolve. Caplan (2009) discusses that bioethics has undergone characterization through debates between two schools of thought, prioritizing personal autonomy and emphasizing the common good. Moreover, Caplan (2009) analyses the impacts of different ethical and philosophical frameworks on bioethics, such as deontology, utilitarianism, care ethics, and virtue ethics. Generally, the article offers a critical and insightful appraisal concerning the origins and evolution of bioethics as a discipline. Caplan (2009) depicts a comprehensive understanding of political, historical, and social elements which have formed the field and provides readers with an extensive overview of practical approaches and debates which have emerged progressively in the past. The analysis in the article is insightful, eng...