Situation Ethics Flashcards
What is a permissive society?
Permissive society is one which liberal behaviour becomes more accepted with sexual freedoms.
What does permissive mean?
Allowing or characterised by great or excessive freedom or behaviour
What does legalism mean?
Relying too heavily on laws or rules
What is the one single role of situation ethics?
Agape (love)
What is agape?
This love is not merely an emotion but involves doing what is best for the other reason/person unconditionally.
Who is the scholar for situation ethics?
Joseph Fletcher
What are the four working principles of situation ethics?
Pragmatism
Relativism
Positivism
Personalism
Situation ethics a teleological or a deontological theory?
Teleological

What is a teleological theory?
Justifies actions through the outcomes. Primarily concerned with the outcome or consequences of an action.
What is pragmatism?
A philosophical idea that suggest trade should be understood in the terms of what works and it is based on experience rather than on theory
What is relativism?
Love is the reason to act and the specifics of how love applies varies between situations with the right thing to do depending on the context
What is positivism?
We have to be active in bringing about love by the decisions we make with laws in the things that humans create.
Situation ethics is based on a positive approach to law.
What is personalism?
Situation ethics is people centred and Jesus placed people above rules.
Good ethics is placed at the good of people rather than obedience to the rules.
What is the first of the six propositions?
Only one thing is intrinsically good, namely love: nothing else at all
What is the second of the six propositions?
The ruling norm of Christian decision is love nothing else
What is the third of the six propositions?
Love and justice are the same the justices love distributed, nothing else
What is the fourth of the six propositions?
Love wins the neighbour good, whether we like him or not
What is the fifth of the six propositions?
Only the end justifies the means, nothing else
What is the sixth of the sixth propositions?
Loves decisions are made situationally not prescriptively
What are three strengths of situation ethics?
It doesn’t reject laws
It’s flexible
It concludes with the greatest commandment which is love
What are three weaknesses of situation ethics?
It deconstructs itself
It’s too extreme with the examples that Fletcher uses
And what is the most loving?
What are Joseph Fletchers 4 Case studies?
Justifiable Mass Killing
Sacrificial Suicide
Sacrificial Adultery
Sacrificial Patriotic Prostitution
