Situation Ethics

Question 1

What is situationism?

Answer 1

Holds that the current circumstances or situation should be used as a guide or basis for making choices about right and wrong

Question 2

Who created situation ethics?

Answer 2

Joseph Fletcher

Question 3

Who was Joseph Fletcher?

Answer 3

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”

Question 4

Why did Fletcher create situation ethics?

Answer 4

Catholicism was far too strict
Christian morals can’t comment on modern day situations.
Christian membership was declining

Question 5

What is Fletcher’s guiding principle?

Answer 5

Agape - unconditional love

Question 6

Why is situationism considered the “middle way”?

Answer 6

It was viewed as a mid-point between legalism and antinomianism

Question 7

What is legalism?

Answer 7

The absolutist view that it is always right to follow moral law

Question 8

What is antinomianism?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

What are presuppositions?

Answer 9

Ideas in which decisions should be based upon.

Question 10

What are the 4 presuppositions?

Answer 10

Pragmatism
Relativism
Positivism
Personalism

Question 11

What is pragmatism?

Answer 11

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”

Question 12

Give an example of pragmatism

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What is relativism?

Answer 13

Sometimes it is right to break the moral law, if the situation demands it, if it will maximise love.
Only love is constant

Question 14

Give an example of relativism

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What is positivism?

Answer 15

Expectations about the way we should behave are not rational; they are held as an act of judgement and faith

Question 16

Give an example of positivism

Answer 16

Saying ‘God is love’ is a choice and is equally unverifiable by any kind of external or empirical test

Question 17

What is personalism?

Answer 17

Puts people at the centre of concern and not things
It is immoral to love things and not people

Question 18

Give an example of personalism

Answer 18

Helping someone to die is personal because you are putting the person needs before laws and yourself

Question 19

What are propositions?

Answer 19

Ideas on how love is best served in a situation

Question 20

What are the 6 propositions?

Answer 20

“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”

Question 21

Explain “Love only is always good”

Answer 21

“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.

Question 22

Explain “Love is the only norm”

Answer 22

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”

Question 23

Explain “Love and Justice are the same”

Answer 23

“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

Question 24

Explain “Love is not liking”

Answer 24

“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

Question 25

Explain “Love justifies its means”

Answer 25

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.

Question 26

Explain “Love decides there and then”

Answer 26

Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively

Question 27

What is “agapeic calculus”?

Answer 27

An agapeic calculation means adding up all the love and then deciding what the most loving outcome is

Question 28

What are the strengths of situation ethics?

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

What are the weaknesses of situation ethics?

Answer 29

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