Dopes SE provide a helpful method of moral decision making ? Flashcards
what is the intro ?
There is a single, absolute principle of love to be applied in each situation to produce the best outcome.
which scholars will u use ?
what is ur view ?
They are helpful
what is the point in para 1 ?
4 working principles and 6 propositions.
6 propositions – ‘Love decisions are made situationally not prescriptively’ – helps us to look at the facts of a situation
SE sums up Jesus main commandments. ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.’
‘Love your neighbour as yourself’
what is the counterargument in para 1 ?
There are many issues with SE – Love could mean two things for two different people.
Also – as humans we are not perfect and we can make mistakes in our judgement
BARCLAY – ‘If all men were saints, then SE would be the perfect ethics’
how will you counteract the counterargument in para 1 ?
MANY OF US ALREADY HAVE VALUES OF MAKIG A LOVING DECIISON SO Therefore it is universal
what is the point in para 2 ?
They are very flexible and therefore useful. It enables people to keep the spirit of the law without being obsessed.
It also enables a decision to be made in each situation. Absolutist theories can struggle with difficult situations where there are 2 conflicting duties . SE enables us to choose the lesser of two ethics.
what is the counterargument in para 2 ?
We need laws in order for society to function. If there are no moral boundaries – everything could be permitted. Some things are inherently wrong and no circumstances could ever make them right.
William Barclay – ‘Terrifying degree of freedom’.- Believes if there are no laws- life gets dangerous .
Its human nature to pick family over strangers – how do you remove bias from it also.
Also, difficult to decide where a situation begins and ends . How much am I responsible for at the moment of decision for that moment of decision – e.g. chain reaction
how will you counteract the counterargument in para 2 ?
It deosnt completely reject laws – it sees them as useful tools which are not absolutely binding – legalism has worse downsides than situationalism.
