Situation Ethics Flashcards
Teleological
A theory of ethics whereby the rightness of an act is determined by its end
Moral goodness is rooted in the consequences of our actions
Relativism
In fletches system the idea that morality is relative to the situation
We should avoid words like always, never and perfect
Jesus agape love
What are fletches three approaches to all thinking
Legalistic
Situational
Antinomian 
Describe legalistic moral thinking
Laws accumulate to cover all eventualities
A legalist must constantly update, develop and add new laws to remain up-to-date
Example of legalistic approach
So when murder was prohibited, this law then had to consider its ruling over other possibilities
Self defence, abortion, war
Describe situational moral thinking
The middle ground between legalistic and antinomian
Moral actions depend on the situation
Situationalists will enter a moral dilemma with rules, ethics and principles of community/tradition
However a situationalist is prepared to set aside these rules if love is better served by doing so
Loving people not laws

Describe antinomian moral thinking
Opposite to legalistic
A person following antinomianism doesn’t apply any kind of law, rule, principle or system of ethics
Every moral decision is unique following no patterns
Sartre was a fan of no rules to follow only your own choices
What was the fletches view on legalistic moral thinking
“Any web thus woven sooner or later chokes its weavers “

At some point those who completely dedicate to maintaining moral rules realise that these rules are lacking love
Laws can be sadistic for example burning the stake of homosexuals in the Middle Ages a process that was supported by the Old Testament
Blindly following moral rules
What does antinomian translate to
Against law
What is fletchers view on antinomianism
Sees it as anarchy
Intellectually irresponsible
Saint Paul referred to himself as a what
Gnostic
What are gnostics
People that claim to have special knowledge
They believe that rules were no longer needed – they would just know what is right

What did Jean Paul Sartre believe
A claim of moral intuition or build in conscience
Philosophy of existentialism - rejects all claims to ethical norms that are valid for everybody
There is no fixed design for how A human should be and there is no god to give us purpose
What is fletchers key quote on agape love
“Only valid if they happen to serve love in any situation“
What would Be the moral thinking of legalism for abortion
Maintaining a pregnancy because abortion Is terminating a life and is murder and murder is always wrong
What would be the moral thinking of situationalism for abortion
Aborting and ectopic pregnancy
What would be the more thinking of antinomianism for abortion
Abort the pregnancy because the person didn’t realise the pregnancy lasted nine months they thought it be three months
In the new Testament Jesus made love Central. What was the quote for this
“You shall love God… Love your neighbour… No other commandment greater than these“
Here Jesus is highlighting that there is no absolute situation
What did Jesus himself say in the new Testament about laws
He criticised laws for laws sake and focuses on love
He wanted to abandon the legalistic nature of morality within jewish society and give the new law, love
Some key quotes by Saint Paul and what the show
“Greatest of these is love”
“he who loves another fulfill the law”
Love is the main virtue that guides humanity
Who else were inspirations for situation ethics
William Temple – Archbishop of Canterbury – love is the predominant Christian impulse – love is clearly the supreme value
Paul Tillich – love is the ultimate law
Who was Joseph Fletcher
American professor
Advocator for abortion, euthanasia, cloning
Argue that having no life at all is better than some of the forms in which ‘life’ is lead
Abandon Christianity and became humanist in 1967
What was fletches reassessment of Christian morality
Traditional Christian ethics needed a new focus
Believed at focus too much on the legalistic rigid rules within the Bible rather than agape love shown by Jesus in new Testament
Wanted to shift the focus away from deontological roles and duties
Why was church membership declining
Due to strict deontological systems and legalistic morality under natural law
Rise of science
Freedom from what many regards the repressive social and religious attitudes of the older generation
When was situation ethics gaining popularity
The 1960s there was rapid change and nuance moral and political landscape
What was Fletcher’s anecdote to understand situation ethics
A guy in a taxi was driving home during the end of presidential campaign
He said that his father and father before him were Republicans
When asked by the taxi driver you must be a Republican yourself
He said “there are times when a man has to push his principles aside and do the right thing”
Basically just saying how you choose the most loving thing and to be a Democrat in America is more liberal than Republican
Is situation ethics controversial
(give evidence using names scholars)
John AT Robinson – this approach to ethics it’s only for a man that is mature enough to make ethical decisions on their own
Pope Pius XII – Condemned situationalism as an approach to morality with a warning as such ethics could be used to justify sin and birth control

How does Fletcher reply to those that say situationalism at controversial
He’s a realist
He says we cannot “do“ morality without making mistakes
Of course we will make mistakes but this is preferable to hiding behind obedience to moral laws

What does Fletcher mean when he says it’s better to make mistakes then to hide behind obedience to moral laws
It’s ethical cowardice and it stops any kind of moral development that might enrich our lives
For example
My religion says I should not accept this
The priest says I should not
The government says I should
Describe the case study for Islamic legalism
In 2002 the religious police of Saudi Arabia refused to let a group of girls escape from a burning building because they were wearing inappropriate clothing which was against the will of allah
Three policeman beat young girls to prevent them from leaving the school
15 girls died
Was Jesus a situationalists
include an example
Jesus frequently put aside the rules, laws and customs of the time to do the most loving thing
Four example
At the time the customers to stone adulterers to death
Jesus said “let the one who is never send throw the first stone into the woman go and sing no more”
Jesus himself as a situationalist
How does Fletcher agree with Aquinas
That reason is the instrument of judgement
What does Fletcher reject from Aquinas
Revelation
Except the command to love God by loving one’s neighbour
Rulea are good guidelines but they are breakable
Circumstances alter rules and principles
Quote By Saint Paul that is anti- moralistic and anti- legalist
“The written code kills, but the spirit gives life”
Who is bonhoeffer 
German theologian
Opposed Nazi ideology
Helped jews escape Germany
Conspiracy to overthrow Hitler
What did Bonhoeffer believe
That the end of love, would justify the means of achieving it.
For example the murder of Hitler
Why would a situation list support Bonhoeffer
The bad act is outweighed by the good consequence – the end of suffering
Sometimes you have to put principles aside to bring about the greater good
The intention was to save hundreds of people
He succeeded with choosing the most agape option
Why would somebody who follows legalistic ethical decision-making have reservations about Bonhoeffers actions
Goes against the precept of preserving life for Aquinas
Goes against the law that you shouldn’t murder
Pragmatic
The presupposition That we should do you what is pragmatic, what works in the situation
Agape
Selfless love
The biblical Christian love – which is sacrificial
Use by Christians to describe Gods unconditional love
Best quote for Joseph Fletcher that’s really sums up the situation ethics
It all depends on the situation. What is right in one case may be wrong another
What are the four different types of love
Storge
Eros
Agape
Philia
What is storge love
Affection - linked to family
What is Eros love
Passionate sensual love
Usually sexual love
What is philia love
Friendship
Loyalty to friends family and community
What are the four working principles
Pragmatism
Relativism
Positivism
Personalism
Define the presupposition of pragmatism 
What do you propose must work in practice
Define the presupposition of relativism 
No fixed rules, all decisions relative to the situation
Define the presupposition of positivism
Value judgement needs to be made, based on love
Define the presupposition on personalism
People, not rules, come first.
The legalist will ask – what is the law,
The situationalist will ask - Who is to be helped
What does William James say on pragmatism
A pragmatist turns his back upon fixed principles and pretended absolutes
Case study of conjoined twins
Both girls were going to die as they had shared organs that Couldn’t support both of them
The Roman Catholic parents believe it was wrong to kill one of the girls so they said both girls should be allowed to die
However the doctors separated the girls killing one to save the other. Situationalists would support this decision
Letting both girls die is not pragmatic. It would be more practical to save one girl at the expense of the other.
Reason is the instrument of moral judgement
Discuss relativism with links to
Command do not lie
Sometimes it will be right to lie
This does not mean you can always justify the action to lie though
Only love is constant or absolute – everything else is a variable
No is the abstract whereas situations are concrete
Explain positivism in detail
“God is love“ – free to follow the love he has given us or not
Faith helps to decide most loving thing to do
Practice faith by choosing this lemming thing
Faith comes first
Christian practice their faith by freely choosing to do what is the most loving thing in any situation
Positivism quote
“Faith working through love”
Explain personalism
People before rules – centre of concern
Jesus came to serve not to be served – broke the rules because he put his people first
Break rules if it helps a person
What did Jesus believe about the commandments
Not to be followed slavishly
There to benefit humankind
Fletcher believes that if it helps people to break the rules then they should be broken
What are the four theories about conscience
That it is an innate faculty
It is the guidance of the holy spirit
It is the internalised values of society
The conscience is Reason making moral judgements
What does Fletcher believe about the four theories On the conscience
Disagrees with them all
What does Fletcher say about the conscience
It is not a noun but a verb

It is perspective it is choosing what love demands in the present situation
Autonomy
The principle of self-determination, that people should be able to decide for themselves what is in their best interest
Intrinsic good
Something that is ethically good in and of itself
What are the six fundamental propositions
Formulated by Fletcher as a set of guiding principles in order to determine what is the most loving in any situation
List the six fundamental principles
Love only is always good Love is the only norm Love and justice are the same Love is not liking Love justifies it means Love decides there and then
Explain
love only is always good
The only intrinsically good thing is love
Love is something we do
Only principle that is good and right in every situation
Love is our telos
Give an example of a situation where love Only is always good
It is good to lend cash to a father to feed his starving family
It would be wrong if he was a compulsive gambler or alcoholic
Explain love is the only norm
Love replaces law
Love break any or all the commandments
Love has no equal – expect nothing in return
Agape is the type of love which manifests how God relates to us – forgive those carrying out Christ’s execution
For love is the only norm
explain the response to the three situations given
Situationalist would conclude that in all three cases that the acts of the persons concerned were both morally good and morally right since in each situation they were motivated by love
What is situation one for love is the only norm
Bonhoeffer Believe that Christian should do more than comforting the wounded and burying the dead during the Nazi reign
He was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler who was discovered and executed
What is situation two for love is the only norm
Hypothetical situation of a man caught hopelessly in the wreckage of a burning plane begging to be shot
Although innocent the most loving thing would be to shoot the man
What is situation three for love is the only norm
Possibility of self sacrificial death
Mother Maria took the place of a young Jewish girl in the gas chamber
Sacrificial death and model of Christ
Explain
Love and justice are the same
Love becomes justice. Justice is nothing more than love being distributed
Love is in union management relations
Justice is nothing more than love working out its problems
Justice is Christian love using its head calculating its duties and obligations
Love and justice are the same
What is the agape calculation case study
President Truman is agape calculation of the effects of dropping in a bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed around 200,000 people
His aim was to end Second World War and it was estimated he would save 2 million US servicemen lives as well as those from other countries around the world
Do you think the example of President TrumanS choice of dropping m atomic bomb Was an example of an agape calculation
In some ways yes more lives are being saved 2 million live while 200,000 die
Not proportionate because why are 2 million US soldiers more important than the 200,000 Japanese civilians
He didn’t murder servicemen he Murdered innocent civilians
In addition long lasting consequences – high cancer rates, PTSD 
Explain love is not liking
Love is not sentimental
Love is about your will and motivation – you should will yourself to promote other peoples well-being
Love does not seek out the deserving nor does it make judgements about the people at once to serve
Can’t let emotional values get in the way of saving love
Give an example of love is not liking
If there was a choice between saving your father or or a medical genius with a cure for a lethal disease then if you understand agape you would save the medical genius
Explain love justifies the means
Natural moral law clings to the idea that the ends do not justify the means
But any action we take is literally meaningless unless some action has an end or purpose
To follow blindly the actions become empty and meaningless – we won’t be thinking about how love is served served
Discuss contraception and love justifies the means
Birth control is better than an abortion
What what the example Fletcher gave about the Indian warfare for love justifies it means
The first mother clung onto her child who was ill and crying with the result being that they were all caught and killed
The second mother saw her crying baby would endanger the whole party trail and killed it with her own hands to keep it silent so the group could reach safety
For love justifies its means what were the four factors Fletcher outlined when judging the situation
What end do we seek
What means will we used to obtain it
What motive is behind our act
What are the forseeable consequences
What is the example for love justifies its means
I woman named Gisella Perl managed to perform 3000 abortions in concentration camps
Even though human embryos were considered human life
As pregnant women would be incinerated
So three thousand murdered prevents three thousand more
Explain love decides there and then 
Love decisions are made situation mate not prescriptively
All decisions are situational and not dependent on the law
Example on love decides there and then
Woman told that she might have a defective baby because she took thalidomide
She asked the court to support her doctor intimidating the pregnancy but the judge refused
Her husband took her Sweden and she received an abortion there
Fletcher argues that the decision was brave loving and right
What did Jesus say about sexual practices or ethics
Condemned adultery and divorce
He didn’t say anything on masturbation or homosexuality so who are we to then go against it
Strengths of situation ethics
Flexible and practical – takes into account complexity of human life
God wants us to use a free will to be autonomous – we are not slaves we must make moral decisions ourselves
Teleological system Put humans first and heart of concern
Weaknesses of situation ethics
It is demanding and places too much pressure on the individual – I think is meant to simplify decision-making but this complicates it
Inconsistent with some teachings in the Bible – the deontological rules which Fletcher ignores
How can we predict loving outcomes the most loving thing now may not be in 10 years
calculations cannot be fully accurate so they only predictions
Who came up with situation ethics
Fletcher
