Ethical Theories

Question 1

Natural Moral Law - Significance

Answer 1

• Healthcare ethics (preserving life and providing care)
• Social Justice (fostering community and equality)

Question 2

Key Principles of Natural Moral Law

Answer 2

1. Preservation of life
2. Reproduction
3. Education
4. Living in society
5. Worshipping God

Question 3

Natural Moral Law - Strengths

Answer 3

1. Provides clear and universal laws
2. Aligns morality with reason and human purpose
3. Offers a clear objective basis for ethics

Question 4

Natural Moral Law - Weaknesses

Answer 4

1. Assumes all humans have the same purpose
2. Can lead to rigid and outdated rules
3. Relies heavily on the belief of God, which some may not follow

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of Utilitarianism?

Answer 5

1. Justification of Harmful Actions: It can justify harmful actions, such as violating individual rights/freedoms
2. Difficult to Apply: The calculation of pleasure and pain can be impractical to use
3. Overlooks Justice and Rights: By focusing on consequences, utilitarianism might ignore issues of justice, fairness and individual rights

Question 6

Situation Ethics - Strengths

Answer 6

• gives humans moral responsibility
• flexible, does not rely on rigid rules
• realism and practicality

Question 7

Situation Ethics - Weaknesses

Answer 7

• subjectivity and uncertainty
• potential for justifying harmful actions
• lack of clear guidelines

Question 8

Virtue Ethics

Answer 8

• Developed by Aristotle
• ## Focuses on character and virtues rather than actions

Question 9

Virtue Ethics - Strengths

Answer 9

• Holistic (interconnected)
• Encourages personal growth

Question 10

Virtue Ethics - Weaknesses

Answer 10

• Vague
• Culture dependent

Question 11

Agape

Answer 11

• this type of love is different from romantic love (eros) and the love we feel towards our friends and family (philia). It’s an attitude towords others rather than a feeling EG] forgiving our enemies is a form of agape love

Question 12

Divine Command Theory

Answer 12

an ethical theory which states that whatever god commands is good; moral codes are universal and absolute

Question 13

Fletchers Situationism

Answer 13

• Fletcher agrees with Robinson that Jesus’s approach to ethics is fundamentally situationist, but Fletchers approach is fundamentally more philosophically sound and systematic
• Fletcher propseses a system of principles to help us make moral decisions and solve moral dilemas (legalism, situationalism, antinomianism)

Question 14

Fletcher - Legalism

Answer 14

adhering strictly to moral codes, laws or rules without considering the context or the specific situation
critic: inflexible and unable to account for the complexities of real-life moral situations

Question 15

Fletcher - Antinomianism

Answer 15

• extreme opposite of legalism, every situation is unique and we should do what is right at the time, there should be no rule whatsoever
  critique: moral chaos, inconsistent decisions

Question 16

Fletcher Love and Justice

Answer 16

argues that love and justice are the same, there can be no love without justice, which leads fletcher to argue that there are no other rules apart from agape love

Question 17

Aquinas Natural Law Theory

Answer 17

• the creation of the world reveals God’s purpose. like aristotle, aquinas argues that the primary function of humans is to use reason well. through reason, humans can understand and follow these natural laws, which includes preserving life, reproducing etc