Situation Ethics Flashcards
What type of theory is Situation Ethics?
Teleological - relates to the telos being aimed at being a consequentialist idea
Who is the key thinker of Situation Ethics?
Joseph Fletcher
What is the context behind Situation Ethics?
Fletcher believed that Christian moral decision making was needing a update due to several reasons such as
- Severe decline in Church attendance
- Liberalising laws in the UK such as abortion or homosexuality
- Previous Christian theories not flexible enough
Who did Fletcher quote at the start of his theory ‘Situation Ethics: A New Morality’
BISHOP ROBINSON: ‘there is no ethical system that can claim to be Christian’
RUDOLF BULTMANN: ‘Jesus has no ethics other than love thy neighbour’
What is legalism?
Two types of Christian rule based morality:
1) Natural Moral Law (Reason based)
2) Divine Command Theory (Bible based)
Fletcher rejects it for being too inflexible
What is Antinominalism?
No ethical system at all -> some Christians ‘just know’ right from wrong due to the Holy Spirit where as others follow secular existentialism where believers make their own morality through their responses
Fletcher rejects it for being too unprincipled and believed it goes against Jesus’ teaching of ‘Love thy Neighbour’
What is Situationism?
Middle way between Legalism and Antinominalism all about agape love basing rules on the situations and reasons and accepts the Bible commands of love thy neighbour. Based on reason and against the idea of an inbuilt law
What is Agape?
Highest form of love - Love of God for man and man of god. Fletcher believed that there are no absolutely binding laws in Christianity so agape is the one we should use.
What did Fletcher believe about the conscience?
Conscience is something we do not something we have and it is a form of guidance before we make a decision but it can not guide human action.
What were Fletcher’s 4 presumptions?
Pragmatism
Contextual Relativism
Positivism
Personalism
What is Pragmatism?
Assessing whether something works in achieving the final telos, agape
What is Contextual Relativism?
Assessing what is the most loving in each situation
What is Positivism?
Stems from the belief of a loving God and that agape requires a leap of faith over reason
What is Personalism?
People centred -> needs of the people must take priority
Fletcher’s Six Working Principles:
1. Love only is always ____________
Good.
This meaning that loving isn’t something that people have or are but something that they do. Love is the only intrinsic good.