1.3 Situation Ethics Flashcards
Summary
- Historical Context
- J.A.T. Robinson
- Joseph Fletcher
- Analysis
- Historical Context
- Historical Changes
2. Ethical Outcomes
- J.A.T. Robinson
- ‘Man Come of Age’
- Law of Love
- C.S. Lewis’ Four Loves
- Biblical Support
- Joseph Fletcher
- What differs Situation Ethics from…
- Four Presuppositions
- Six Fundamental Principles
- Examples used by Fletcher
- Analysis
- Strengths
- Weaknesses: Christian Responses
- Weaknesses: Peter and Charlotte Vardy
- Weaknesses: William Barclay
1.1 Historical Changes
- Women in the workforce: after WW2, feminism encouraged women to work.
- Vietnam: lack of faith in authority
- Civil Rights Movement: changed social attitudes
- Pill / Sexual Revolution: Casual sexual relationships were acceptable
1.2 Ethical Outcomes
- Increasing liberal values were at odds with conservative Christian views
- People questioning traditional sources of authority such as the Church
- They began to ignore teachings, especially around sex and relationships
- People believed they could decide for themselves the right way to behave and did not need the strict rules of divine command ethics
2.1 ‘Man Come of Age’
- To come of age is to become mature and to take on responsibilities.
- Ethic for a ‘man come of age’ recognises that moral agent is mature enough to make decisions and can take responsibility for the outcome
2.2 Law of Love
- Robinson: believed that the legalistic approach of divine command ethics was a misconception of the ethics that Jesus taught.
- Robinson argued that individuals should act to show what will best demonstrate love to others
- “though shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” - Matthew
- This type of love is ‘agape’
- Agape: selfless love
- Teleological: concerned with outcome (whether actions result in agape)
2.3 C S Lewis’ Four Loves
- Lewis work can be used to explain Robinson’s theory
- Lewis published a book in 1960s: The Four Loves
- Sought to explain different forms of love from a Christian Perspective…
Storge: commonly between family members
Philia: Love of friendship
Eros: Love between partners in a romantic relationship
Agape: Unconditional love that applies to Christianity in Lewis’ thought.
Lewis: agape is the highest form of love.
Bible “whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love”
Agape desires what is simply best for the beloved.
It is love for that which is not naturally lovable
2.4 Biblical Support
Robinson: situation ethics best fitted teaching of Jesus in the Bible
Examples of Jesus rejecting absolutism:
- “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” Mark
- Jesus heals individuals with leprosy (religious teaching: they are sinners)
- Stops woman from being stones although that was the law
3.1 What differs Situationalism from…
Antinomianism: principle of agape must be applied
Legalism: principles cannot be absolute and inflexible
3.2 Four Presuppositions
- Pragmatism: Should be practical and achieve outcome of agape
- Relativism: All situations should be assess on how best demonstrate love
- Positivism: Moral agent has to decide, through faith in God, that love is the most important thing of all
- Personalism: Needs of people are considered first
3.3 Six Fundamental Principles
- Only one thing is INTRINSICALLY good: namely love. Nothing else
- Ruling NORM of Christian decision making is love. Nothing else
- Love and JUSTICE are the same for justice is love distributed. Nothing else
- Love wills the NEIGHBOUR’s good, whether we like him or not.
- Only the END justifies the means, nothing else
- Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively.
3.4 Examples used by Fletcher
- Woman who kills crying baby to protect a group of people from being attacked by Indians
- Military nurse who treats patients badly to motivate to get better
- a woman who commits adultery with a Russian prison camp guard
- Doctor who allows abortion for a raped patient in a mental hospital
