Situation Ethics Flashcards
Agape
unconditional love, the only ethical norm in situation ethics
Legalism
ethics that has a set of predefined rules and regulations which direct how you should behave
Antinomianism
ethics that doesn’t use any kind of law, rule or principle, or any system of ethics at all
Situationism
this ethics is how moral and action is depends on the situation
Pragmatism
acting in moral situations, in a way that is practical, rather than purely ideologically
Personalism
purposes something as true or good without demonstrating it
Personalism
ethics centered on people, rather than laws or objects
Conscience
may variously be used to refer to a faclty within us, a process of moral reasoning, insights from God or it may be understood in psychological terms
Ends and means
ends, or goals, are what we aim to do, and means, are what we use to do what we aim to do
What are the four working principles?
- personalism - puts people first
- positivism - based on the assumption that the basic premise - love being the greatest good - needs no proof
- pragmatism - based on practicality
- relativism - all decisions must be relative to Christian love
What is the first proposition?
“only one this is intrinsically good; nothing else at all”
What is the second proposition?
“the ruling norm of Christian decision is love; nothing else”
What is the third proposition?
“love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed; nothing else”
What is the fourth proposition?
“love wills the neighbour’s good, whether we like him or not”
What is the fifth proposition?
“only the end justifies the means; nothing else”
What is the sixth proposition?
“loves decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively”
What is the problem with the first proposition?
is love the only absolute good?
What is the problem with the second proposition?
isn’t this over-simplistic? wouldn’t it undermine the legal system if you coukd just break the rules
What is the problem with the third proposition?
too optimistic. situation ethics decisions do not necessarily brnrfit everyone
What is the problem with the fourth proposition?
disregards particular responsibilities/relationships of trust and love
What is the problem with the fifth proposition?
may be argued that evil is evil, regardless of the consequences
What is the problem with the sixth proposition?
is everyone capable of making the right moral decision by themselves, without regard for the rules? is it practical to wait until you are in the situation?
Does situation ethics provide a helpful method of moral decision making?
- it provides something that rules cannot - a guide to the frame of mind, the ideals to keep in focus, when acting in the face of a moral dilema
- difficult theory to use - no easy answer, no simple list to follow which means you have to take responsibility for what you are about to do
