Situation ethics Flashcards
History
Developed by Joseph Fletcher in the 1960s during the social cultural sexual revolution
Rejects two understandings of God
Divine command theory e.g. abraham and isaac
Deus ex machina- God intervening from outside
Situation ethics is
a middle ground between antinomianism and legalism
4 pressupositions
personalism people prioritised
positivism love is most important factor
pragmatism must be workable solution
relativism no abolsute right/wrong
6 principles
Love is always good
Love is the only norm
Love and justice are the same
Love wills the neighbours good
Love is the only means
Love decides situationally
Unique situations
Sacrifical adultery- Mrs bergmeier
Hiroshima Bombing- justified by the belief it saved lives by ending WW1 quickly
Jean Paul Sarte
Example of young french man choosijg between sick mother(consultant priest) and war (revolution priest)
Highlights ambiguity in moral dilemmas and how situation ethics has no moral guidlines
Freidrich Nietzsche
He argues that God is dead and we need to give meaning to the earth
Criticises christian herd mentality- following the crowd and lacking individualism
We must transvalue values meaning we should define our own right or wrong not following God or Fletcher
He believs human should ubermensch(overman) overcome suffering and transcend humanity.
Weaknesses
Subjective morality means risking making rights or wrongs purely based on opinions
Overreliance on individuals can lead to selfishness in their moral judgment
Unpredictable consequences like Daniel Dennets 3 mile disaster
Willaim Barclay says unque situations are rare e.g. sacrifical adultery ordinary life needs laws
Strengths(4)
As a consequenalist theory it has real term effefts upon the world
Its relatvism and flexibility allows for workable solutions e.g. divorce/ assassinating a dictator
Pragmatism allows for pratical and workable solutions e.g. unwanted pregnancy
Agape is universal so applies to both atheists and theists
