1C: Applying Situation Ethics to Homosexuality and Polyamory Flashcards
What might Fletcher think about homosexual and polyamorous relationships?
- as long as youre showing agape then it is acceptable. “love and justice is the same”
- “Whether any form of sex is good or evil depends on whether love is fully served”
- he believed the only thing good in itself is a gap
- sex is only good or bad in relation to how much it reflects agape
- applying these specific relationships to SE, you must judge the sexual relationships by the standards found in agape: the 4 WP and 6 FP
What were the laws about homosexuality in the US and UK when Fletcher wrote SE?
it was illegal
What did Fletcher thing about laws and attitudes about sex in the US and UK?
they were hypocritical, inconsistent, out of date and unjust
- said that the law encouraging prejudice and discrimination against people just because of their sexuality was wrong (on legal and christian grounds)
- however he did think the law has the right to limit individual freedom for the benefit of society
What was the Wolfenden report (Fletcher agreed with it)?
the law should not interfere with matters of private morality
- concluded the criminal law should not restrict sexual freedom of consenting adults in their private actions unless society’s stability is threatened
What did Fletcher conclude sex laws should be shaped by?
- age of consent
- issues of public decency
- acts involving assault
- violence
- coercion
- fraud
Who is an example of homosexuals being a victim of social injustice?
Alan Turing
How did Alan Turing avoid his prison sentence?
accepting a medical treatment for his ‘condition’
- shows how homosexuality was seen as a mental illness
What year was the law in the UK changed to make homosexual acts permissible between consenting adults aged 21 or over?
1967
When was same sex marriage legalised in the UK?
13 March 2013
first marriage in 2014
How has polyamory been regarded at different points in time?
- been around since Greek times
- still seen as an abnormal ethical deviation
- however it has a growing population
What problems are there in defining polyamory?
- sets parameters and restraints
- ironic because polyamory tries to avoid being classified into a particular set of rules in terms of sex and relationships
- cover many scenarios
- can be informal
- can be short term
- can be uncommitted
- can be long term
What values have been associated with polyamory?
- trust, honesty and respect at all times
- gender equality and removing traditional boundaries associated with gender roles
- non possessiveness: sometimes jealousy cannot be avoided but it should be resolved within each individual, with compression (sharing of common joy) as a goal
- communication: there’s no standard model for all PA relationships so it’s crucial to negotiate with everyone
- loyalty
What did Fletcher say in criticism of the church’s attitude toward sexuality?
their attitude was “a very confused and inconsistent one, tending to dead letter laws and hypocrisy”
How is homosexuality and polyamory decided to be good/bad?
- whether homosexuality was good/right or bad/wrong depended upon the situation and not an absolutist position
- in religious terms: whether or not ‘love is fully served’ by the relationship
- in social/legal terms: whether or not the principle of SE was met in a secular context
Would the principle of agape support homosexuality and polyamorous relationships?
Yes
- Fletcher’s view was that any type of sexual relationship should have equal treatment in relation to the principle of agape
- the principle of agape would support any relationship as long as what is done in private/public does not contravene legal rights and does not offend public decency
What would Fletcher say about polyamory?
any rules or laws about polyamory are of secondary importance to love
- we must start from a position where we trust that love is the god thing (positivism) and then work out how to be loving
- we need to assess the individual situation (relativism)
What is a homosexual relationship?
a romantic attraction, sexual attraction, sexual behaviour between members of the same sex/gender
What does Leviticus say about homosexuality?
“you shall not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination”
How does Fletcher respond to Leviticus?
opposes it
- ‘love is the ruling norm of Christianity”
- so if loving consequences occur then Leviticus can be ignored
What would the boss principle say about homosexuality?
it is never always right or always wrong
- relativist ethic so does not believe actions are always right and wrong in themselves
- it will judge each homosexual relationship on a ‘case by case’ basis (FP)
Why might SE say homosexual relationships are morally good?
- they could be ethically good if the consequences of the relationship led to agape consequences
- if the relationship is based around loving commitment then SE would say to ignore the religious rules against homosexuality
- this is because agape is better served by allowing the relationship
Why might SE say homosexual relationships are morally bad?
- if the relationship is just based around lust (selfish desire for self satisfaction eg casual sex) then SE would say it’s morally wrong
- this is because the relationship is creating selfish consequences, not loving ones
- therefore SE would say stick to religiously rules on homosexuality because love is not best served by breaking the rule
How can the FP ‘love is the ruling norm of Christianity’ be applied to homosexual relationships?
if the homosexual act was carried out for an agape outcome then this replaces any rules on homosexuality that come from the Bible
How can the WP of relativism be applied to homosexual relationships?
- makes it clear homosexual acts can never be considered always morally wrong or right
- this is because no action is right or wrong itself
- the act can only be judged wrong or right depending on the loving outcomes
How can the FP ‘loving ends justify the means’ be applied to homosexual relationships?
- if the homosexual act was done to create an agape outcome then this FP would state this was morally justified
- this is because the end (the loving outcome) justifies the means (the bad action of breaking biblical rules)
How can the WP of pragmatism be applied to homosexual relationships?
if the chances of the homosexual relationship depending the relationship were slim eg both people were about to go to university miles from each other then pragmatism would say it was a wrong action despite the intention of creating a loving consequence
How can the WP of relativism be applied to polyamorous relationships?
- they cannot always be considered morally right or wrong
- can only be judged depending on the loving outcome/consequences
How can the WP of pragmatism be applied to polyamorous relationships?
- the relationship does not affect anyone else
- it ensures emotional and physical fulfilment for all members of the group
How can the WP of positivism be applied to polyamorous relationships?
- polyamory can be the most loving way to act for some people without any rational proof
- love is justification for a decision
How can the WP of personalism be applied to polyamorous relationships?
- people’s needs must be put before laws
- if all members of the relationship are consenting and desirous of the relationship, then their love is decided situational lyrics
How can the FP of ‘love is the only intrinsic good’ be applied to polyamorous relationships?
- regardless of the love, whether monogamous or polyamorous, it always good regardless of the context
- love is an action not a noun
How can the FP of ‘love is the ruling norm’ be applied to polyamorous relationships?
if a PA relationship is carried out for the outcome of agape, then this replaces any rules on polyamory
How can the FP of ‘love and justice are the same’ be applied to polyamorous relationships?
- PA couples should be treated fairly
- we don’t require a monogamous and heterosexual couple to give up their lives together so it is unfair to ask of it of these people
How can the FP of ‘love wills the neighbours good’ be applied to polyamorous relationships?
if each person in the relationship feels like they can put the needs of the other two before their own then agape can be served through the relationship
How can the FP of ‘only the loving end justifies the means’ be applied to polyamorous relationships?
- the outcome for a PA relationship would be for happiness and emotional/sexual fulfillment
- the loving end (children) justifies the means, as the child will have multiple loving parents to care for them
