Situation Ethics

Question 1

What is antinomianism?

Answer 1

there is no rules and regulations as to how you act, you must make a decision based on your own judgement
(Fletcher rejected as it ignored Jesus’ law of love)

Question 2

What is legalism?

Answer 2

There are set rules and regulations on how people may act in a decision-making situation

Question 3

What is situationism?

Answer 3

middle course between legalism and antinomianism, there is one main principle, love, and you can make ur judgement around that

Question 4

What is Agape?

Answer 4

selfless love

Question 5

What were Fletchers 4 presumptions?

Answer 5

1. Pragmatism: Doing what works in a situation
2. Relativism: morality is relative to the situation
3. Positivism: Ethical norms are not rational, they are held as an act of judgement and of faith
4. Personalism: putting people at the centre of concern

Question 6

Expand on Pragmatism

Answer 6

• ensuring it maximises love, so it has value

- if it does not maximise love it does not work, so has no value

Question 7

Expand on Relativism

Answer 7

• shouldn’t use words such as “never” or “perfect”
• e.g., “do not commit adultery” or “do not lie”
  ^ sometimes it may be right to do so

Question 8

Expand on Positivism

Answer 8

• we don’t need to justify why we like a certain type of music as its not seen as unreasonable
• so when we say “God is love” its a choice and unverifiable by any kind of external test

Question 9

Expand on Personalism

Answer 9

• it’d be immoral to love items and not people

- people are to be loved, not laws

Question 10

What are the 6 propositions?

Answer 10

1. Love only is good
2. Love is the only norm
3. Love and justice are the same
4. Love is not liking
5. Love justifies its means
6. Love decides there and then

Question 11

Explain Love only is good

Answer 11

• love is something that people do

- love is intrinsically good

Question 12

Explain Love is the only norm

Answer 12

• we are only required to follow laws if they serve love

Question 13

Explain Love and justice are the same

Answer 13

• justice is the way love is expressed

- it adopts an utilitarian approach, using agapeic calculus

Question 14

Explain Love is not liking

Answer 14

selfless act that does not seek to get anything else in return

Question 15

Explain Love justifies its means

Answer 15

What makes something right is nothing to do with whether or not it is lawful

Question 16

Explain Love decides there and then

Answer 16

‘sinning bravely’ when in grey areas of decision making