Essential Flashcards For Situation Ethics
What is situation ethics?
Situation ethics is a teleological theory developed by Joseph Fletcher concerned about the outcome. Situation ethics is hypothetical and ignores laws as well as looks at what best outcome serves love.
Whats the difference between Legalistic ethics and Antimomian ethics?
Legalistic ethics are morals and ethics based on written law covering all aspects of life.
Antinomian ethics have no pattern and are anarchic - without any rules.
What is a permissive society?
This society (1960s) started to allow and accept things that previously weren’t accepted. E.g. homosexuality
What are the four working principles?
Pragmatism - moral actions must achieve some realistic goal
Relativism - there are no fixed laws which must be obeyed
Positivism - first place is given to christian love, rooted in faith
Personalism - people come first, not ideas or rules.
What is agape love?
This is unconditional love towards everyone. “The highest form of love” “The love of god for man and man for god”.
What is the first fundamental principle?
“Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else”
Actions are therefore good or evil depending upon weather they promote the most loving result.
What is the second fundamental principle?
“The rolling norm of Christian decision is love: nothing else”
AKA love replaces law
What is the third fundamental principle?
“Love and justice are the same, for justice is low distributed, nothing else”
Justice is love coping with situations where distribution is called for.
What is the fourth fundamental principle?
“Love wills the neighbours good, whether we like him or not”
This is a matter of attitude. We must spread agape love to everyone, not just those we like.
What is the fifth fundamental principle?
“Only the end justifies the mean; nothing else”
Love must be the final result. When weighing up a situation, one must consider the desired end, the means available, and the motive for acting.
What is the sixth fundamental proposition?
“Loves decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively”
This means that love decides on each situation as it arises, without a set of laws.
Name 5 case studies on SE
- Gone baby gone (movie)
- Sacrificial suicide (Patient can prolong his life but it’ll put his family in debt - he doesn’t take the drugs)
- Justifiable mass killing (Nagasaki/ Hiroshima)
- Patriotic prostitution (Spy has to sleep with enemy spy)
- Sacrificial Adultery (had to get pregnant to return to home country)
