Situation Ethics Flashcards
What religion does situation ethics root from?
Christianity
Who was its main thinker?
Joseph Fletcher
Is it teleological or deontological?
Teleological
How do you use situation ethics?
In every situation think of what is the most loving outcome
What 4 types of love are there?
Agape
Phila
Eros
Storge
What is philia love?
Friendship
What is Storge love?
Family
What is eros love?
Romantic love
What is Agape love?
Highest form of love
Unconditional
The love we have for mankind
Goes beyond emotions
What is agape based off?
‘Love thy neighbour’ - Jesus’ teachings
Who was a previous writer to Fletcher who argued for ethics based on love?
William Temple
What was fletchers book called?
Situation Ethics
When was Fletchers book released?
1966
What is legalism?
The view that people require fixed rules to follow
What is antinomianism?
The view that there are no rules or laws to follow at all
What is situationism?
The middle ground avoiding the problems of each while keeping the benefits
What is a negative of legalism?
It doesn’t take the situation into account
What is a negative of antinomianism?
It leads to moral chaos
What is a positive of legalism?
It has clear guidance for people to follow
What is a positive of antinomianism?
It takes the situation into account
What was Fletchers job for a time?
President of the Euthanasia Society of America
What is a pneumatic for the four working principles?
Penguins remember positive people
What are the four working principles?
Pragmatism
Relativism
Positivism
Personalism
What is pragmatism?
Based on experience rather than theory
What is relativism?
There are no fixed rules that must be followed
You should break laws if it the most loving thing to do
What words do situationists avoid?
Never
Perfect
Always
Complete
And like the plague absolutely
What are the different types of relativism?
Absolute - decisions are anarchic or random
Situation - relative to Christian love
What does situation ethics do?
‘Relativizes the absolute, it does not absolutize the relative’ - Fletcher
Where does Jesus use relativism?
Jesus’ followers pick corn on the Sabbath as ‘the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’
What is Positivism?
It begins with the belief in the reality and importance of love
What is personalism?
People are at the centre of situation ethics - not laws or anything else
How many fundamental principles are there?
6
What is the first proposition?
‘Only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all’
What is the second proposition?
‘The ruling norm of Christian decision is love; nothing else’
What is the third proposition?
‘Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else.’
What is the fourth proposition?
‘Love wills the neighbour’s good whether we like him or not’
What is the fifth proposition?
‘Only the end justifies the means; nothing else’
What is the sixth principle?
‘Love decides there and then’
Is conscience a noun or verb?
A verb
What is the definition of conscience?
Describes the weighing up of the possible decision before it is taken
What is Aquinas’ definition of conscience?
‘Reason seeking understanding’
