SITUATION ETHICS

Question 1

Who came up with situation ethics?

Answer 1

Joseph Fletcher

Question 2

What type of ethical theory is situation ethics?

Answer 2

Relativistic and teleological

Question 3

What does Fletcher base all moral decisions off of?

Answer 3

Agape (highest form of love, selfless love)

Question 4

What are the two unhelpful extremes that situation ethics avoids?

Answer 4

Antinomianism and legalism. Situation ethics argues agape is a midpoint between the two extremes.

Question 5

What are the four working principles?

Answer 5

1/ Pragmatism (the decision we make must be something that works and produces good outcomes)
2/ Relativism (the right thing to do is dependent on the context)
3/ Positivism (laws are things that human beings create;we have to be active in bringing about love by decisions we make)
4/ Personalism (people centred. Jesus placed people above law)

Question 6

What are the six propositions?

Answer 6

1/ Only one thing is intrinsically good, namely love: nothing else at all
2/ The ruling norm of Christian decision is love, nothing else
3/ Love and justice are the same thing, for justice is love distributed, nothing else
4/ Love wills the neighbour good, whether we like him or not
5/ Only the ends justifies the means, nothing else
6/ Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively

Question 7

What are the four types of Greek love?

Answer 7

1/ Storge (family)
2/ Philia (close friendship)
3/ Eros (sexual love)
4/ Agape (unconditional)

Question 8

Situation ethics may be seen as a helpful way of making moral decisions:

Answer 8

• Is person centred and as such seems closer to the teachings of Jesus, who consisently put people above rules
• Enables a decision to be made in each situation. Absolutist theories can struggle with difficult situations where there are two conflicting duties.
• Love as a principle is hard to object to. If we love others. we will want the best for them. This seems very compassionate.

Question 9

Situation ethics may be seen as an unhelpful way of making moral decisions:

Answer 9

• Faces the difficulty that , as a relativist theory, it is vague
• There are no moral boundaries. Everything or anything could be permitted if the situation was extreme enough.
• May be difficult to decide where a situation begins and ends. My decision to take a life to save others may be a good short-term solution, but may set in motion a chain of negative events to come

Question 10

Quotes about love:

Answer 10

‘“The most important one” answered Jesus, “is this: … Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

‘Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.’

• Mark 12:29-31

Question 11

How do you apply love (agape) situationally?

Answer 11

There may be general principles but love may break these. When applying love, we should consider the situation and ask how love can be applied to the certain situation.

Question 12

What are two case studies on applying love situationally?

Answer 12

Acceptable abortion: a young girl who was raped asks for an abortion but abortion is illegal. The doctor should carry out the abortion anyways as it is the most loving thing to do.
Truman’s Dilemma: during WW2, US president Truman dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaski. Fletcher argues that this was the most loving thing to do because it saved more lives than it killed

Question 13

Ethical judgement should be based on agape:

Answer 13

• For a religious thinker, agape is an excellent principle and, according to Jesus, sums up the most important commandments
• Principle of agape is useful in helping us know when to accept the general rules and when to break them, hence, it is very flexible
• Agape is a relativist principle, but it does not seem as easy to manipulate

Question 14

Ethical judgement shouldn’t be based on agape:

Answer 14

• Concept of love represented by agape can be interpreted in various ways. It may for some conjure up charity and compassion but others represent dispassionate wanting of good for others, produces different results
• One difficulty with agape in general is that it seems to set up to deal with exceptional or difficult cases. Most cases require us to follow conventional rules, not situation ethics
• May be better principles upon which to base ethics. A religious believer may argue that god directly reveals commands that a stress on agape may lead a believer away from the revelation

Question 15

Situation ethics is to be seen as a religious ethical theory:

Answer 15

• The ethic is very clearly located in the words of Jesus, who, when asked to sum up the whole of the Jewish law said love thy neighbour
• Jesus’ attitudes towards Pharisees in NT shows a clear opposition to legalism of his day
• Idea that love is the key evidence of genuine religious faith is found in the words of Jesus: ‘By everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’

Question 16

Situation ethics isn’t to be seen as a religious ethical theory:

Answer 16

• Situation ethics has been rejected by the established church Condemned by Pope Pius XII as it was in clear opposition to natural law on a number of key issues
• Can be argued that Fletcher’s reading of the words of Jesus is highly selective. Jesus quite clearly condemns divorce and adultery and speaks about hell far more than heaven
• Jesus tells his disciples that if they love him they are to obey his commandments - implies love isn’t the only commandment to follow

Question 17

Quote opposing Situation Ethics:

Answer 17

‘It is an individual and subjective appeal to the concrete circumstances of actions to justify decisions in opposition to Natural Law or God’s revealed will’

• Pope Pius XII

Question 18

It can be argued that situation ethics is not too individualistic and subjective because:

Answer 18

• Rather than relying on external authorities, situation ethics gives responsibility and autonomy in moral decision-making. Thus situation ethics treats individuals as adults
• Situations and contexts do differ greatly and it is important that the flexibility of situation ethics is retained. Recognises what is right for one person in a specific situation

Question 19

It can be argued that situation ethics is too individualistic and subjective because:

Answer 19

• The emphasis on individual decision-making means that this could never be an ethic that could be applied in a society, as views of love differ
• May be overly optimistic about human capacity to reason clearly and reach moral decisions. Theologians like Augustine would also be cautious about human ability to reach good decisions