 As the discipline we now call bioethics emerged in the early 1970s, moral philosophers and political theorists were primed to contribute to debates on any number of practical issues in areas such as law, economics, the environment, business, research on human beings, and medical practice. These academics were understandably hopeful both that their knowledge of moral theory would prepare them to apply their theoretical understanding to real-world problems, and that their skills in critical analysis would be appreciated. Even today, such confidence in the usefulness of moral theory to the solving of practical problems is manifest in the introductions to bioethics textbooks, many of which include discussions of at least the basics of consequentialism, virtue theory, deontology, and so on.