Situation Ethics Flashcards
Situation Ethics
Focuses on the situation rather than fixed rules
“Sometimes you have to set your principles aside and do the right thing”
-Teleological, relativist, autonomous
-Focussed on Jesus’ teachings on the Sermon on the Mount
Agape
Situation ethics claims a simple, easy to define norm, that of agape love. Agape love means sacrificial love for friend or stranger
Disadvantages of Agape
-Difficult norm to define as it implies strict impartiality strict neutrality in the observe and what utilitarian Peter Singer calls the universal viewpoint
Universal viewpoint argument against agape
If my interests spread out from me like ripples of a pond, I naturally place my immediate family first, my friends second, and my acquaintances, third. People who are strangers lie many circles beyond immediate circles of interest. By implying impartiality, the norm of agape love is therefore both unrealistic and almost impossible to apply in practice. Which stranger do I include, and how many?
Law
Fletcher claims to be between legalism and antinomianism, between adherence to the law and anarchic disdain for the law. However, states that sometimes the rules need to be set aside and you need to do the right thing and takes a relativist approach to his ethics.
Unclear what role the law plays overall in Fletchers ethical theory if approach taken
Importance of law - Mills rule Utilitarianism
Mill’s rule utilitarianism Mill argues we should generally follow rules until our own wisdom suggest that there is a moral conflict where something has to go For example, in euthanasia cases you cannot always preserve life and also alleviate pain: the opiod can kill you as a physician induced act of mercy. Therefore, the place of law is important in society at least in preserving a barrier between simple choice (to kill a patient) and a moral dilemma (when you can’t have both moral ‘goods’)
Importance of Law - Barclay
-Barclay points out that society needs rules to provide a coherence to its public morality, and also to show the wisdom of previous generations. Rules pass on that wisdom and provide a basis for moral education. Rules of course don’t have to be absolute as the Bible itself shows: ‘do not kill’ cannot include killing in times of war as the Bible also permits the military campaigns of Joshua.
What has happened as Fletcher fails to recognise the role of law
becomes unworkable because it places too much responsibility on individual judgement.
Principles
1) Personalism
2) Pragmatism
3) Positivism
4) Relativism
Personalism
Personalism (put the person first over the law) - But individuals do not exist in a vacuum. When a teenager chooses to take drugs, it affects everyone: family, school, friends and society which pays the bill for treatment. Situation ethics is in danger of becoming a narrow, almost selfish ethic
Pragmatism
Pragmatism (proceed case by case and abandon rules) – Wouldn’t this just lead to an anarchic society
Positivism
Positivism (posits love as good as God is love) – not helpful to an atheist, which is exclusivist and they may misinterpret what Gods love as they are not theistic
Relativism
Relativism (there is no absolute, which is an unchangeable norm) – Unclear and offers little guidance
Jesus teachings
Fletcher basis his theory on the New Testament and Jesus’ teachings on agape love (cf. Greatest Commandment ‘love god and love thy neighbour’)
Mouw’s argument against Fletcher’s focus on Jesus’s teachings
Richard Mouw argued that just because one Bible passage focuses on love that doesn’t rule out the relevance of other laws. Jesus did indeed say to love your neighbour as yourself. However, he also said many other laws. They should all be followed.