Situation Ethics Flashcards
What does teleological mean
A theory of ethics, whereby the rightness of an act is determined by its end.
Moral goodness is rooted in the consequences of our actions.
What does relativism mean?
In fletcher’s system, the idea that morality is relative to the situation
We should avoid words like ‘always’, ‘never’, and ‘perfect’
Jesus agapeic love ‘relativises the absolute, does not absolute the relative’
What are fletcher’s three approaches to moral thinking?
legalistic
situational
antinomian
What is a legalistic approach
it’s a rigid approach
A legalist must constantly update, develop and add new laws to remain up-to date
Such fixed laws, as found within the Catholic or Protestant teachings, have problems when it comes to updating these laws (no second, third, fourth edition)
What is a situational approach
Middle ground between legalistic and antinomianism
Moral action depends on situation
A situationist will enter a moral dilemma with rules, ethics, and principles of community/tradition
However, a situationist is prepared to
unique, following no patterns or preferences.
remain up-to-date.
set aside these rules in the situation IF love is better served by doing so.
Loving people not laws
What is an antinomianism approach
opposite of legalistic
A person following antinomianism doesn’t apply any kind of law, rule, principle or system of ethics
• Every moral decision is unique, following no patterns or preferences
• Nietzsche and Sartre were fans, who believed that there are no rules to follow only your own choices.
What is the Bonhoeffer case study on SE?
He plotted to kill Hitler, in order to save millions of lives
What would situationists think about
Bonhoeffer’s actions?
They sound support his decision because he didn’t make the decision out of malice but out of consideration for the greater good
What would legalists think about
Bonhoeffer’s decision
They would have reservations about
Bonhoeffer’s actions because they would say that it is still immoral to plot to kill/ kill someone regardless of the situation
What are some inspirations of SE?
-Greatest Commandment(Gospel of Mark)
“..you shall love your God with all of your heart… you shall love your neighbour as yourself”
-Jesus wanted to abandon the legalistic nature of morality within Jewish society.
Gave the new law; LOVE
-Love is the main virtue that guides humanity
Who is Fletcher?
Fletcher is the founder of SE
He roots it in the New Testament and the actions of Jesus who set aside laws and broke rules for the good of people
What is the context behind SE?
-it gained a popular following as it allowed the religious believer to fit their views into the rapidly changing and nuanced moral and political landscapes of the 1960s
-Church membership was declining due to strict deontological systems
What is the basis of Fletcher’s theory?
“There are times when a man has to push his principles aside and do the right thing”-Fletcher
What did John A T Robinson say about SE?
He said that SE is ‘man come of age’ This means that SE is good because human brains are developed, we use our reason/ conscience appropriately, we are autonomous beings
What do the Catholic Church think about
SE?
They condemn it as an approach to morality with a warning that such an ethic could be used to justify evil, such as birth control or abortion
Why are Fletcher’s four working principles
A framework to explain how SE works
Name Fletchers Four Working Principles
Pragmatism
Relativism
Positivism
Personalism
What is pragmatism
Something that is pragmatic is something that is practical. Pragmatism directs your attention to the real world and the practical consequences of your actions. It encourages you to consider the realistic outcomes of your choice. What will realistically achieve the most loving outcome?
Give a case study for pragmatism
conjoined twins
letting both die is not pragmatic, it would be of more use, more practical to save one girl at the expense of the other
what is positivism
Fletcher says that faith has to come first and be rooted in love. A person’s faith in God reveals to them that live must come first. Faith guides moral judgments
What is relativism?
What is loving depends on the situation. For example, it is right to lie.
Only love is constant/absolute
Laws are abstract whereas situations are concrete; they are the reality
Give a quote that Fletcher says regarding relativism
“We are always commanded to act lovingly, but how we do it depends on our own responsible estimate of the situation”
What is personalism?
SE puts people at the centre of concern.
People are to be loved, not rules.
Rules should serve people, not people serving rules(they should only be followed if they benefit people and promote agape)
What did Jesus say that relates to personalism and what does it mean?
“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”
The commandments are not to be followed slavishly. The commandments are there for the benefit of people.
