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Religious Studies > Ethics: Situation Knowledge > Flashcards

Ethics: Situation Knowledge Flashcards

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1
Q

Define Antinomianism.

A

The belief that there schools be no laws or principles governing human behaviour.

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2
Q

What is Situation Ethics?

A

The method of ethical decision making which focuses on the most LOVING thing to do.

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3
Q

What is a quote that represents Situation Ethics?

A

“ The morality of an action depends on the situation”

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4
Q

What are Fletchers 4 Presuppositions?

A
  1. Pragmatism: morality is about fact/actions/what maximises love in a situation.
  2. Relativism: morality is relevant to the situation, we should avoids like ‘always’ or ‘never’.
  3. Positivism: affirming the belief we should “ we should love one another because love is from God”.
  4. Personalism: people come before laws.
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5
Q

What is a legalist?

A

Someone who strictly follows rules/laws.

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6
Q

What are Fletchers FOUR Presuppositions?

A
  1. Pragmatism
  2. Relativism
  3. Positivism
  4. Personalism
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7
Q

What is Pragmatism?

A

Morality is about facts/ actions and the practicality in that specific situation > what maximises love in a situation through logical action.

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8
Q

What is Relativism?

A

Morality is relativism to the situation and the norms in one’s culture. Each case should be taken on case by case.

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9
Q

An Example of Pragmatism.

A

If you were stuck with a dilemma of saving someone from the first or twenty-first floor of a burning building, it is more practical to save the man on the first floor.

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10
Q

An Example of Relativism.

A

If a person believes abortion is relatively wrong for her then it is.

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11
Q

What is Positivism?

A

Affirming the belief of loving one another, using the Christian belief of love. People come first not law.

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12
Q

An Example of Positivism.

A

Agape love, “ we should love one another because love is from God” , John 4:7-12.

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13
Q

What is Personalism?

A

If we are to maximise love in a situation you must consider the person before law.

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14
Q

A Quote for Personalism.

A

Fletcher : “Love is of people, by people. Things are to be used: people are to be loved… loving actions are the only conduct permissible”

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15
Q

What is an Issue with Legalism? Quote to support?

A

Those dedicated to following all rules, are lacking love.
“ any web woven sooner or later chokes its weavers”

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16
Q

What are TWO issues with Antinomianism?

A
  1. Rejects Gnosticism > Gnostics claim to have special knowledge (a piece of Gods knowledge) , therefore meaning rules were not needed.
  2. Rejects Existentialism > Fletcher claims that combining situation ethics and existentialism is wrong.
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17
Q

What is Gnosticism?

A

People who claimed to have special knowledge, therefore meaning rules were not needed.

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18
Q

What is Existentialism?

A

Emphasising the individual as a free and responsible agent of themselves, we are each responsible for creating purpose and meaning in our own lives. Being a saint without God.

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19
Q

What is a Quote for Relativism?

A

“ Love relativises the absolute, it does not absolutise the relative”.

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20
Q

What is a Quote for for Pragmatism?

A

“ A pragmatist turns his back upon fixed principles”.

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21
Q

What are FOUR theories about Conscience?

A
  1. It is Innate (from within/happens naturally).
  2. Guidance by the Holy Spirit.
  3. Internalised values of society.
  4. Reasons making moral judgements > not something we have but use.
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22
Q

Fletchers’ Six Fundamental principles.

A
  1. Love only is always good > the only thing that is intrinsically good.
  2. Love is the only Norm > love replaces the law.
  3. Love and Justice are the same > love becomes justice.
  4. Love is not liking > love can be angry
  5. Love Justifies the means > end justifies the means, providing this focuses on love.
  6. Love decided there and then > focuses on situations rather then previous laws.
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23
Q

1st Principle: Love only is always good.

A

Whatever is loving is right. Love is the only thing that is intrinsically good.

24
Q

2nd Principle: Love is the Norm.

A

Love replaces law > E.g. Jesus goes against the Torah laws with the law of love, “ Christ has set us free”.

25
Q

4th: Principle: Love is not liking.

A

We should encourage ourselves to promote others well-being even if we do not like them. > love can be angry.

26
Q

3rd Principle: Love and Justice are the same.

A

Love becomes Justice, caring for all. We should work out the most love to come out of any situation ( agapieic calculus ).

27
Q

5th Principle: Love Justifies the means.

A

Love has moral responsibility, providing the end goal focuses on love.

28
Q

6th Principle: Love decides there and then.

A

Focuses on the situation, rather than hiding behind prescriptive laws. We should grow up being taught the right choice.

29
Q

Quote Joseph Fletcher.

A

“ Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love and nothing else”.

30
Q

Quote James Robinson.

A

“ The only ethic for a man come of age”.

31
Q

Quote Paul Tillich.

A

God is “ the ground of our being”.

32
Q

Explain “Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love and nothing else”.

A

Fletcher explains that love is the only thing that determines if an action is good, depending how much love is generated.

33
Q

Explain “ The only ethic for a man come of age”.

A

Robison explains that we learn the aspect of ethics as you age and become more educated.

34
Q

Explain God is “ the ground of our being”.

A

Tillich refers to the fact that God is the reason for all of our existence and morals.

35
Q

Define Autonomy.

A

The principle of self-determination, that people should be able to
decide for themselves what is in their best interests. (Self law)

36
Q

Strengths of Situation ethics.

A
  1. Jesus did it. Jesus taught the central message that we should
    love God and love our neighbour: everything else, including the Law, hangs on this kind of love.
  2. Promotes Autonomy. Where people are encouraged to make their own decisions in a situation. Fletcher insisted that situationists should follow the law of the country except in extreme circumstances.
  3. It is flexible and adaptable. Whereas legalism can struggle to accommodate new technologies, situation ethics adapts readily to any developments in medical science and to developments in understanding human sexuality.
  4. It focuses on helping people (it is consequentialist agape). Situation ethics focuses on helping people, whereas legalistic ethics often amounts to
    worship of laws that have no real moral force.
37
Q

What are the Weaknesses of Situation Ethics?

A
  1. It is too much responsibility for an individual to carry. In effect the individual ends up with more moral responsibility and authority than either of the Bible or the Church. Situation Ethics could be
    used to justify people doing what they feel inclined to do rather than doing what is right.
  2. It is arrogant. It sidelines 2,000 worth of church authority. It runs too great a risk of descending into moral chaos.
  3. We cannot foresee the consequences of any given situation. Many events/scenarios are future conditional and therefore in hindsight our decision may no longer appear to be the most loving.
  4. With regard to Fletcher’s case studies, it is commonly objected that they reflect extreme situations rather than ‘real life’.
38
Q

The SIX fundamental Propositions.

A

• “Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all.”
• “The ruling norm of Christian decision is love: nothing else.”
• “Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else.”
• “Love wills the neighbour’s good whether we like him or not.”
• “Only the end [ie.agape] justifies the means; nothing else.”
• “Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively.”

39
Q

What is Situationism?

A

This puts people before rules, love and community before principles. Situationism does not ignore tradition, but is not bound by it.

40
Q

What did Fletcher Reject? (Deontological)

A
  1. Natural Moral Law (Catholic). Too restrictive but accepts there is reason for judgement.
  2. Divine Command Theory (Protestant). Too absolute.
41
Q

What did Fletcher Accept?

A
  1. Jesus as an example on how to live.
  2. Focus on Christian Agape.
  3. It is personal and contextual.
42
Q

What are the issues with Antinomianism?

A
  • Rejects Gnosticism: Gnostics claimed to have special knowledge therefore didn’t need a set of rules.
  • Rejects Existentialism: – Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher rejects all claims to ethical norms being valid for everyone. Fletcher claims those who combine
    situation ethics with existentialism are mistaken.
43
Q

What is a problem with Legalism?

A

It has a rule for everything, even for bending the rules.

44
Q

What observations did Fletcher make on Sexual ethics?

A

Jesus only makes comments on condemning adultery and divorce.
• Jesus says nothing about what size families should be, contraception, not procreating,
homosexuality, masturbation, abortion, sex play, sex before marriage, sterilisation.

45
Q

What were Fletchers 3 Suggestions about Sexual ethics?

A
  1. Whether any form of sex is good or evil, depends only on whether love is fully served.
  2. We can love without sex and sex without love. Not just for procreation.
  3. If people believe sex outside of marriage is not wrong, then it is not. Unless they hurt
46
Q

What is Agabeic Calculus?

A

Fletchers proposal that love can be measured by its intensity, duration, likelihood of giving rise to more love, how near or far away the loving end is in time and so on.

47
Q

Explain “Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all.”

A

Love (agape) is the only absolute, the one thing that is intrinsically good regardless the situation.

48
Q

Explain “The ruling norm of Christian decision is love: nothing else.”

A

This love is self-giving love, which seeks the best interests of others but allows people the freedom and responsibility to choose the right thing for themselves.

49
Q

Explain 3)“Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else.”

A

If love is put into practice, it can only result in justice. Justice is concerned with giving everyone their due- its concern is with neighbours, not just our neighbour. One cannot love someone and see them treated unfairly.

50
Q

Explain “Love wills the neighbour’s good whether we like him or not.”

A

Agape goes out to neighbours not for our own sakes nor for theirs, really, but for God’s.

51
Q

Explain “Only the end [i.e. agape] justifies the means; nothing else.”

A

Love must be the final end, not a means to an end- people must choose what to do because the action will result in love.

52
Q

Explain “Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively.”

A

People often want the crutch of an ethical system to lean on – they
want to cower behind the security of rules; but we have to accept that morality has grey areas that we must wrestle with.

53
Q

Give a quote for “Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively.”

A

‘ … what is sometimes good may at other times be evil, and what is sometimes wrong may sometimes be right when it serves a good enough end – depending on the situation.’

54
Q

What is Humanism?

A

A system of thought in which reliance is placed on human intelligence and
will, rather than on supernatural guidance.

55
Q

What were Fletchers FOUR theories about the conscience?

A

1) It is innate.
2) Guidance by the Holy Spirit.
3) Internalised values of society.
4) Reason making moral judgements (Aquinas).

Religious Studies (16 decks)

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