Situation Ethics

Question 1

Give 4 keywords to describe SE

Answer 1

It is teleological,

relative, consequential, agapeistic

Question 2

What does Fletcher say about SE breaking laws for love’s need?

Answer 2

‘The situationist follows a moral law or violates it according to love’s need’

Question 3

What does the taxi cab example tell us about SE

Answer 3

‘Sometimes you’ve gotta put your own principles to one side and do the right thing’.

Question 4

What does Bernard Hoose say?

Answer 4

Bernard Hoose devised proportionalism where there are fixed rules which may be broken during certain circumstances.

Question 5

What is SE the middle ground of

Answer 5

legalistic and antinomian ethics.

Question 6

What does Paul Tillich say?

Answer 6

Rules should offer guidelines- Paul Tillich

Question 7

What is personalism based on?

Answer 7

People always come first, based on Jesus breaking the law on Sabbath to heal a man.

Question 8

What quote does Jesus use for personalism?

Answer 8

‘Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath’.

Question 9

What is Fletcher’s main quote to support personalism?

Answer 9

Fletcher suggests that the legalist asks ‘’what is the law?’’ whereas a situationist asks ‘’who is to be helped?’’. Fletcher suggests that Jesus replaced Law with Love by the Great Commandment to love God and your neighbour as yourself.

Question 10

What is love is the only means?

Answer 10

love is the only means through which the end consequence of love justifies the means.

Question 11

What does relativism mean?

Answer 11

CONSEQUENCES

Question 12

Explain the Mrs Bergemeir example which working principle does it support?

Answer 12

Mrs Bergemeir who was imprisoned by the Russians at the end of the Second World War, the only way for her to be reunited with her family in Germany was to be pregnant, consequently she had sex with a guard in order to become pregnant and was sent back to Germany. This example illustrates a rule being broken of adultery in order to serve love’s purpose.

Question 13

How does agape love differentiate between other types of love?

Answer 13

Fletcher differentiates from eros and philia through his principle of love is not liking, and willing the neighbour’s good we should show love even towards our enemies.

Question 14

How are justice and love connected?

Answer 14

Fletcher suggests through agape love we have a duty to everyone. ‘Justice is love distributed’. If love is put into practice, it can only result in justice and justice is the giving to every person what is their due.

Question 15

Fletcher stated his theory was more flexible than legalism and more principled than antinomianism

what does this mean .

Answer 15

Fletcher’s SE is seen as the middle ground of the legalistic and antinomian ethics because unlike legalists it does break rules for love’s need and unlike antinomian it doesn’t support life without rules and chaos.

Question 16

What does kairos mean? Where does it come from?

Answer 16

Fletcher uses a Greek word ‘Kairos’ which is often used in the New Testament, Fletcher uses it to mean a ‘moment of decision’ of which your own rules or principles need to be put aside.

Question 17

What is pragmatism?

give 2 examples

Answer 17

Embryonic research

Mary and Jodie, conjoined twins

Question 18

As a strength what does Rudolf say

Answer 18

Rudolf Bultmann ‘love thy neighbour as thyself’

Question 19

A ……… version of Christian Ethics that allows Christians to cope with the …….e.g. homosexuality and premarital sex of modern society.s a strength, fill the gaps..

Answer 19

Modernised

liberalism

Question 20

What does Pope Pius XII say

Answer 20

Pope Pius XII SE contravenes natural moral laws ‘God’s revealed will’ which are the specific guideline of God.

Question 21

What does Barclay say about human nature

Answer 21

Human nature craves rules

Question 22

What does Barclay say about Fletcher’s extraordinary situations?

Answer 22

Fletcher’s cases are extreme one we are not likely to make life and death choices everyday ‘it is much easier to agree that extraordinary situations need extraordinary measures than to think that there are no laws for ordinary everyday life.’

Question 23

What does Paul Ramsey say?

Answer 23

Our ideas of love may be subjective rather than objective e.g. euthanasia family members will not want this but person in pain will, raises the issue on whose

Paul Ramsey we need the insight of rules decisions to be made more straightforward.

Question 24

What does Barclay say on individualism?

Answer 24

Barclay ‘too much individualism means the weakening of the law” humanity is not mature enough.

Question 25

How does Chorley support Barclay?

Answer 25

Selfless love is not natural in human nature Chorley selfishness and self interest may cloud the person’s moral judgement. Floyd society needs a father figure such as the government.

Question 26

What does J.A.T Robinson say?

Answer 26

J.A.T Robinson ‘an ethic for humanity come of age’

Question 27

What is the issue of stem cell research?

Answer 27

stem cell research it may be acceptable in some cases when there are ‘spare embryos’ however we get the same end if we directly create embryos for stem cell research if SE has the core belief over consequences then surely both approaches should be accepted.

Question 28

List the main 3 working principles and explain them

Answer 28

Relativism- each situation based on the consequence of agapr love

Personalism -people come before rules

pragmatism -the most useful outcome