Situation Ethics

Question 1

Who came up with situation ethics

Answer 1

Joseph fletcher

Question 2

What is legalism

Answer 2

A strict set of prefabricated laws or rules that are absolute in nature and cannot be broken

Question 3

What is agape

Answer 3

Selfless/unconditional love

Question 4

What is antinomianism

Answer 4

Literally lawless, the lack of any rules or guideance at all l

Question 5

What is existentialism

Answer 5

Rejects pre existent soul: instead, we create our own self

Question 6

Why did fletcher reject legalism

Answer 6

It was too restrictive
It lacked compassion for the challenges people faced
It put laws before people
It led to immorality by forcing people to obey laws even when it harmed them

Question 7

Why did fletcher reject antinomianism

Answer 7

It was too random in its approach
It would lead to chaos / anarchy
It did not protect the vulnerable members os society
It was inconsistent and unprincipled

Question 8

What is the the role of conscience

Answer 8

Fletcher felt that conscience was valuable in moral decision-making, but rejected the definitions given by other thinkers. Our conscience does not direct us; instead, it is a process that we go through when we apply our reasoning to a specific problem that needs to be solved.

What conscience is not:
God’s voice/supernatural guide
Backward-looking, assessing things you have done/guilt Intuition or radar that instinctively knows what is right or wrong

Question 9

What types of love does fletcher day there is

Answer 9

1 Storge - instinctive love, like a parent for a child. A feeling that just comes to you.
2 Philios - love for friends, a love you choose that might be dependent upon their behaviour towards you.
Eros - romantic or sexual love, as you might have for a lover. It is sometimes confused with lust.
4 Agape - none of the above. It is an action of care or concern for another being that is not dependent upon whether they are a nice person or not. It is more like our understanding of the word charity.

Question 10

What does agape allow

Answer 10

Agape allows people the flexibility to approach moral situations without having to stick rigidly to potentially outdated laws. It gives guidance and protection to people and is consistent with Jesus’ behaviour, so it is attractive to Christians. When making decisions about how to behave, people should:
• stick to society’s laws unless it seems more loving to break them
• have love as the main goal of every moral action.

Question 11

Why does fletcher say agape is the best too make moral decisions

Answer 11

Fletcher felt that agape was the best way to make moral decisions because:
• it does not discriminate against people
• it shows compassion to all people equally
• it is a firm principle upon which to base all behaviour, so avoids the chaos of antinomianism
• it is flexible, showing love to people in different ways, depending on who they are and what their situation is. This avoids the rigidity of legalism.

Question 12

Biblical evidence?

Answer 12

Paul’s teaching on love (synopsis)
Paul lists the following actions:
1 Speaking in tongues
4 Faith
2 Prophetic powers
5 Giving away possessions
3 Knowledge
6 Giving up your life
These are all worthless without love. All these things come to an end.

The teachings of Jesus (Luke 10:25-37)
Jesus teaches that agape is scripturally based. He tells a story to show that true obedience to this law of love may be unconventional in its application.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan (synopsis)
* A lawyer tests Jesus by asking how to inherit eternal life.
* Jesus asks what is written in the law.
* The lawyer replies with the Shema: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’
* Jesus confirms this.
* The lawyer asks, ‘Who is my neighbour?
* Jesus replies with a parable: A man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by robbers, who left him for dead. A priest and later a Levite saw him and passed by without helping. But a travelling Samaritan saw him and helped (Samaritans and Levites were enemies). He treated the victim’s wounds, found him an inn, cared for him, then paid the innkeeper to shelter the victim until he was well.
* Jesus asks who was the most neighbourly.
* The lawyer identifies the Samaritan.
* Jesus tells him to do likewise.
The teachings of St Paul (1 Corinthians 13)
This passage on love is often read at weddings, but it is talking about more than romantic love. Paul lists the qualities required by agape that are not about feelings so much as they are about charitable behaviour towards other people.

Question 13

Situation ethics as a form or moral relativism

Answer 13

Moral relativism is the stance that there are no absolute moral rules or laws, but that all decisions should be made in relation to the extent to which (in this case) love is achieved. This means that we can abandon a law that says, ‘You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination’ (Leviticus
18:22, NRSV) if, and only if, it is more loving to do so. In contrast, an absolutist stance says that we must obey that law regardless of circumstances.

Question 14

How is situation ethics a consequentialist theory

Answer 14

Consequentialism assesses moral actions based on their outcome or results rather than the act itself. Situation Ethics, as a consequentialist theory, works out whether the result of an act will be loving. If it is, then it is a good act. An act, such as sex between members of the same gender, is neither intrinsically good nor intrinsically bad. It is dependent upon the outcome of the act in each separate case.

Question 15

How is situation ethics a teleological theory

Answer 15

It focuses upon an acts purpose or goals - it is teleological because it aims for live in its decision making

Question 16

The boss principle agape and why do people follow it

Answer 16

Agape is the unconditional care or concern for others/altruistic behaviour/charity.
• The boss principle is the leading or fundamental principle.
• Agape is the overriding principle that has priority over all other laws.
• Any law that does not serve love can be broken.
• This principle is sometimes called the agapeistic calculus - greatest love for the greatest number.
• Sometimes Situation Ethics is called Christian Utilitarianism.

Question 17

What are the four working principles

Answer 17

These principles were provided by Fletcher to guide people in how they can best be loving. They are not rules or laws; they describe how love should be applied.
1 Pragmatism - (practicality) any action must be practically possible in working to serve a loving outcome.
2 Personalism - (people before law) the individual person is the priority and love for them is more important than the detail of any law.
3 Positivism - (faith first) you cannot prove that love is the most important thing. We must just have faith that it is and then apply our reason afterwards to see how best to be loving.
4 Relativism - (no set rules) all acts must be relative to a loving outcome.
There are no fixed laws that apply universally except for love.

Question 18

What are the six fundimental principles

Answer 18

These six principles are not laws or rules; they give guidance regarding how best to be loving when faced with a moral dilemma.
1 Only love - the only intrinsically good thing is love and nothing else.
2 Ruling norm - love is the ruling norm of Christian decision-making.
For a Christian to make a moral decision, they must always assess whether it will produce love before they worry about whether it obeys laws like the ten commandments.
3 Justice = love - love and justice are the same thing. Justice is love
shared out fairly.
4 Neighbourly love - love your neighbour as you love yourself.
5 Ends justify the means - if the outcome is loving, any action at all is permitted.
6 Situation - acts should be decided situationally not prescriptively. This means we look to the situation and decide each individual case, rather than looking to a prefabricated set of rules and trying to make them fit the circumstances.

Question 19

What does fletcher situation ethics say about homosexuality

Answer 19

Homosexuality includes some, but not necessarily all, of the following things:
• a sexual relationship between humans of the same gender
• a romantic relationship between humans of the same gender
• a commitment, such as marriage or civil partnership, between humans of the same gender.
What does religion teach?
The Abrahamic faiths include the following teachings relating to homosexuality:
Therefore, a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 (NRSV)
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it.”’
Genesis 1:28 (NRSV)
‘You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination
Leviticus 18:22 (NRSV)
Other world faiths do not necessarily clearly condemn or uphold homosexuality. But at some stage, all have made statements that say homosexuality is against the tenets of their faith.
What would Fletcher say?
Any laws or rules against homosexuality take second place to the command to love. (The first and second fundamental principles dictate this.) So, if it is more loving to allow homosexual acts than to prohibit them, then they should be allowed.

Question 20

What would situation ethics say about polyamourous

Answer 20

• A polyamorous relationship is the idea that more than two people are willingly and knowledgably involved in a sexual and/or romantic relationship with each other.
• It has been around since ancient Greek times but is gaining more attention in the modern world.
• It requires honesty and consent from everyone within the relationship.
• It is not usually purely sexual in nature, so rejects casual sex, cheating or swinging.
• It has no clear boundaries or definitions that have been universally agreed upon.

What does religion teach?
Christian tradition prohibits these kinds of relationships, but there is no clarity in scripture since it is not mentioned specifically. The New Testament refers to Bishops and Deacons only marrying once. In the Old Testament, key figures were married more than once. This is not necessarily reference to polyamory though.

Therefore, a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 (NRSV)

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NRSV)

Let marriage be held in honour by all and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers!
Hebrews 13:4 (NRSV)

However, God appears to allow polygamy in the Old Testament at key times to protect vulnerable women, e.g. to provide for those who have been widowed.
If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish the food, clothing, or marital rights of the first wife.
Exodus 21:10 (NRSV)
Other faiths may have traditions of polygamy, but these are not necessarily the same thing as polyamorous relationships. Polygamy includes a marital commitment. However, polyamory does not require this and is gender fluid.
What would Fletcher say?
Any laws or rules about polyamorous relationships are of secondary importance to love. We must start from a position where we trust that love is the good thing (positivism) and then work out how best to be loving. We need to assess the individual situation (relativism).

Question 21

The degree to which agape is the only intrinsic good

Answer 21

Agree:

1 Corinthians 13:13 is clear that agape is more important than any other characteristic.
Jesus states that the law is based upon the command to love God and your neighbour.
Laws are useful only if they produce an outcome that is loving to people.
To be treated with loving kindness and compassion is something everyone wants.

Disagree:

Agape is too subjective to be considered intrinsically good.
Some acts seem good without being loving
You can’t love everyone, e.g. abortion is loving to the mother, but not to the child.
Agape is an over-simplification, there is more to morality than this.

Agape is an intrinsic good but not the only one:

In 1 Corinthians 13:13, other goods are mentioned: faith and hope.
Galatians 5:22-23 mentions joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.
In Exodus, Abraham’s obedience to God’s commands is of primary importance.
Matthew 5:17 says that Jesus came to fulfil the law not abolish it.

Question 22

Does situation ethics promote immoral behaviour

Answer 22

It does:

Human desires are promoted as more important than God’s commands. S
It encourages people to reject
God’s commands if it suits them.
Some actions are simply wrong, e.g. rape, but theoretically Situation Ethics could allow it.
It doesn’t

Situation Ethics cannot promote immorality because the only moral thing is love.
It follows Jesus’ example, so it must be moral.
It only requires law breaking when the situation is so extreme that the law fails.
Manipulation of agape for selfish ends is a risk, but not advocated.

It allows immoral behaviour but it doesn’t promote it

It tries to do what is best but inadvertently leads to immorality.
You can’t love everyone equally, so it is too idealistic to be realistic.
It doesn’t require people to murder but accepts that such acts are sometimes necessary.
It allows us to choose between two bad options when that is all that is available.

Question 23

Does situation ethics promote justice

Answer 23

It does
One of the six fundamental principles is that justice and love are the same thing.
Personalism accepts that
circumstances make it easier for some to obey rules.
Justice is a fair outcome. People have diverse needs to reach the same goal.
Loving your neighbour means that we don’t give preferential treatment to anyone.

It doesn’t

The agapeistic calculus
disregards the minority to bring love to the majority.
Justice is equal treatment, not the same outcome. The same rules should apply to all.
It is impossible to legislate for Situation Ethics in a society, so it cannot promote justice.
It encourages a free choice of behaviour. This promotes anarchy, not justice.

It promotes it but doesn’t achieve it

Justice is impossible. We can’t show love to everyone even though Fletcher wants us to.
Situation Ethics is idealistic but not realistic.
Some people are resistant to help and so we cannot provide love if they don’t want it.
It is not fair to the victims of crime to show equal love to criminals I

Question 24

Is situation ethics effective with dealing in ethical issues

Answer 24

Effective

It allows the individual autonomy to weigh up the situation for themselves.
It is adaptable to new ethical scenarios that present themselves to society.
It can make allowances for extreme situations.
By not rejecting law entirely, it still provides structure to society.

Not effective

It is not possible to judge the actions and laws of others because everything is relative.
It allows actions that most others would recognise as intrinsically bad.
Laws are put in place for a reason, to prevent problems that have arisen historically.
We cannot know all the future consequences that will arise because of one decision.

Partially

Laws help govern society; agape is useful for the individual.
Agape combined with other factors (such as law) could regulate each other.
It is beneficial to us all to make sure that laws are applied in a loving, compassionate way.
Situation Ethics can address our attitude but cannot protect us from others’ immoral acts.

Question 25

Should agape replace religious rules

Answer 25

Should replace them

Jesus set the precedent that we can put laws aside if it is loving to do so.

The New Testament preaches freedom from the restrictions of Judaic Law.

If we follow agape, then we will usually end up doing what the law suggests anyway.

Focus on the law means we become like the Pharisees; Jesus preached against them.

Shouldn’t

God’s laws do not change, they are absolute (‘I the Lord do not change - Malachi 3:6 NRSV).

Jesus said that he had not come to replace the law but to fulfil it.
Religious laws protect the vulnerable and preserve our relationship with God.

Our reason is flawed; we cannot be trusted to know the best way to be loving.

Should be taken alongside them

Agape is useful for individuals but cannot run a society.
Rules are useful for society to make sure vulnerable people are protected.
Agape is a useful personal ethic for when rules don't address the situation.

Question 26

To what extent to which situation ethics provides a practical basis for making moral decisions for both religious and non belivers

Answer 26

It is practical

While God is the basis, it is possible to be loving whether you are religious or not.
The principle of positivism requires faith in love, not faith in God.
A principle of Situation Ethics is pragmatism - practicality is written right into the theory.
It requires use of reason to see how to best be loving, so anyone can apply it.

It is impractical

Humans are not omniscient; we cannot judge in advance what the loving ends might be.
Love is too subjective for anyone to use it to judge behaviour.
Non-believers cannot view Jesus as a good role model without faith in his divinity.
It is an impractical way to run a multi-cultural or secular society without proselytising.

It is practical for believers but not belivers

Non-believers have no reason to be interested in the teachings of Christ.
Non-believers will prefer
Utilitarianism, which does not resort to scripture.
Practical means useful - agape is not useful since the word is only meaningful to believers.
Non-believers do not share the motivation to emulate God by following this theory.

Question 27

Breif explainstion of situation ethics

Answer 27

Situation ethics focuses on the situation and if it’s got love and is the most loving thing too do