situation ethics Flashcards
what is legalism
which is the view that it is always right to obey the moral law
Did fletcher agree with Kant’s views
no, he says that if you would follow ethics and tell an axe murderer information then you should get a grasp on reality
whats antinomianism
the view that the laws put in place by societies should be rejected
what does fletcher argue that ethics is based on
Christian love
what book did fletcher write
‘situation ethics’
what did pope Pius XII
he had already condemned situationism as an approach to morality, with a warning that such an ethic could be used to justify birth control
why did fletcher think that Christian ethics needed a reassessment
-absence of god in the wars
-science displacing god
-The weakening of family and religious bonds through widely available contraception
-failure of natural moral law
what is situation ethics based off
agapeism (Christian love)
what does Robinson mean by ‘man of age’
it requires each individual to use logic and reason for moral decision making without dependence on rules
Explain how the Catholic Church responded to situationism
they didn’t like it because they followed the natural moral law ,especially divine law, it was banned from scriptures
where is legalism traditional
major western religions, such as Christianity
did Fletcher reject or embrace legalism
he rejected it
what does Fletcher say casuistry is
a process of using rules cleverly in difficult moral situations
what does Fletcher mean by this quote “… homage paid by legalism to the love of persons, and to realism about life’s relativities.”
Fletcher means that at some point, even those who are completely dedicated to maintaining moral rules realise that rules are lacking in love, and so they use casuistry to inject a little love into the system.
what does Kant’s ethics argue
that if a mad axe-murderer who is searching for his next victim demands that you tell him the truth about where that person is, you must tell him the truth as it is an absolute
Does Fletcher agree with Kant
No he doesn’t, he says that anyone that would tell the truth to the axe murderer needs to get a grasp on reality.
what are rules in Fletchers eyes
rules are merely as expression of the rationality and virtue of people,
does fletcher embrace or reject antinomianism
he rejects it
when fletcher says he rejects antinomianism’ who is addressing particularly
those who think they have special knowledge so need no laws at all
what was Gnosticism
those in the time of St Paul who thought they had special knowledge so thought they were above rules.
whats Pragmatism
morality is about facts and actions; about what maximises love in the situation
whats relativism
morality is relative to the situation. Jesus’ agapeic love: ‘relativizes the absolute,
it does not absolutize the relative!
whats positivism
which is basically affirming the belief in 1 John 4:7-12, that ‘we should love one another because love is from God
what personalism
Personalism: people come before laws. The question to be asked in any situation is: who is to be helped?”
