1.7 Situation Ethics Flashcards
What is agape love?
unconditional love of God
Who proposed situation ethics?
Fletcher
what is Fletcher’s background?
American priest who later rejected God and became a humanist
What was the context of the 1960s?
Lots of social action movements e.g. anti-war, feminism, civil rights
What is the cab driver anecdote?
when asked the cab driver stated that he would put his principles aside to do the right thing and vote against the party he and his family usually voted for
What type of ethical theory is SE?
teleological
What does SE say about rules?
the only rule is love
What is SE the midway of?
antinomianism and legalism
What is antinomianism
ethical theories without rules
What are legalistic ethics?
ethical theories with only rules
Finish Fletcher’s quote: “the morality of an action …
“depends on the situation”
Finish Fletcher’s quote: “the situation follows a moral law …
or violates it according to love’s need
What bible story shows Jesus was a rebel?
Jesus healing on the Sabbath
What is the most important rule according to Jesus?
“Love thy neighbour as yourself”
What is the case of a Jewish woman and her baby hiding from the Nazis
The woman’s baby would not stop crying so the woman smothered her baby to save everybody else
Why do Catholics reject SE?
SE justifies intrinsically evil acts such as abortion
What are the 4 presuppositions an ethical theory must be based on?
- relativism
- positivism
- pragmatism
- personalism
What are the 6 fundamental principles
- love is the only good
- love is the only norm
- love and justice are the same
- love wills the neighbour good
- Love justifies the means
- love decideds there and then
What is the agapeic calculus?
A method of calculating which action will generate the most loving outcome
What are the 4 parts of the agapeic calculus?
- end
- means
- motive
- consequence
What is Fletchers example of sacrifical suicide?
A terminally ill patient commits suicide before his life insurance policy runs out
What is Fletchers example of patriotic prostitution?
A woman has been asked to seduce and sleep with an enemy in order to gather information to end the war
What is Fletchers example of justifiable mass killing?
Atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought about an end to the war
What is Fletchers example of sacrificial adultery?
a married German woman with three children slept with a nazi guard in order to become pregnant so she could leave the camp
One strength of situation ethics
promotes doing the most loving thing
One weakness of situation ethics
it is too subjective
