Situation Ethics Flashcards
What is situationism?
Holds that the current circumstances or situation should be used as a guide or basis for making choices about right and wrong
Who created situation ethics?
Joseph Fletcher
Who was Joseph Fletcher?
1905-1991
American professor
In 1966 he wrote “situation ethics”
In 1967, he abandoned Christianity and became a humanist
“There are times when a man must put aside his principles and do the right thing”
Why did Fletcher create situation ethics?
Catholicism was far too strict
Christian morals can’t comment on modern day situations.
Christian membership was declining
What is Fletcher’s guiding principle?
Agape - unconditional love
Why is situationism considered the “middle way”?
It was viewed as a mid-point between legalism and antinomianism
What is legalism?
The absolutist view that it is always right to follow moral law
What is antinomianism?
The belief that there should be no laws or principles governing human behaviour
What are presuppositions?
Ideas in which decisions should be based upon.
What are the 4 presuppositions?
Pragmatism
Relativism
Positivism
Personalism
What is pragmatism?
An action be practical, possible to achieve and able to work. If it doesn’t then it has no point or value.
“A pragmatist turns his back on fixed principles…he turns towards facts, towards actions”
Give an example of pragmatism
Conjoined twins want to be separated but this would mean that one of them would die. Fletcher would argue that this would be a practical situation because despite loosing one twin you are saving the life of the other twin
What is relativism?
Sometimes it is right to break the moral law, if the situation demands it, if it will maximise love.
Only love is constant
Give an example of relativism
Stealing food in order to feed your family makes the act of “stealing” relative to your situation
It maximizes love for your family as they’re the only reason you commit the act of stealing
What is positivism?
Expectations about the way we should behave are not rational; they are held as an act of judgement and faith
Give an example of positivism
Saying ‘God is love’ is a choice and is equally unverifiable by any kind of external or empirical test
What is personalism?
Puts people at the centre of concern and not things
It is immoral to love things and not people
Give an example of personalism
Helping someone to die is personal because you are putting the person needs before laws and yourself
What are propositions?
Ideas on how love is best served in a situation
What are the 6 propositions?
“Love only is always good”
“Love is the only norm”
“Love and justice are the same”
“Love is not liking”
“Love justifies its means”
“Love decides there and then”
Explain “Love only is always good”
“Only love is intrinsically good and nothing else.”
However, good depends on the situation. For example, it is good to lend a father money to feed his but may not be so good if he was an alcoholic or gambler.
Explain “Love is the only norm”
The ruling norm (standards of behavior) of Christian decision is love.
Love replaces law meaning it is superior of the law
“we should drop the legalists love of law and accept only the law of love”
Explain “Love and Justice are the same”
“Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed”
Love in society has to be calculating and distributive in caring for all; and that is justice
Explain “Love is not liking”
“Love wills the neighbours good whether we like him or not”
This says we should love our neighbours like we love ourselves.
Knowing the difference between love and liking someone
Explain “Love justifies its means”
If an action is bad but the end is a loving good end then it is justified.
For example if you steal food to feed your starving family then the stealing is justified by the loving of your family.
Explain “Love decides there and then”
Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively
What is “agapeic calculus”?
An agapeic calculation means adding up all the love and then deciding what the most loving outcome is
What are the strengths of situation ethics?
It is situational meaning it looks at the situation as it really is and is based on a platform of moral common sense.
Promotes individual autonomy where people are empowered to make their own decisions in situations.
Can easily be adapted and flexible to modern society in regards to science and human sexuality.
Promotes social justice because it forces people to analyze situations and motivate them to change things for the better.
What are the weaknesses of situation ethics?
It puts a lot of responsibility upon an individual.
Fletchers scenario’s and examples are too extreme and are unlikely to happen to modern day life.
The idea that love justifies what one does is a doubtful assumption to make because love can turn obsessive/possessive where one might be prepared or attack others on the grounds that they are less loveable.
It defies 3,000 years worth of church traditions and scriptures
