Situation Ethics Flashcards
what is pragnatism
a moral solution is only good if it is practical
What are the four presumptions
Pragmatism RelativismPositivism Personalism
what is relativism
there is no absolute principle. every decision depends on the situation or context
what is positivism
statements of faith precede reason
what is personalism
ethical theory and morality deals with people first over principles.
what are the six fundamental principles (presuppositions)
- love only is always good2. love is the only norm3. love and justice are the same4. love is not liking 5. love justifies its means6. love decides there and then
what does ‘love is always good’ mean?
love is intrinsically good, all acts should be done for love- ‘agape’
what does love is the only norm’ mean?
love replaces law. Laws are mere reflections of love in action, there are simply a guide.
what does ‘love and justice are the same’ mean?
justice is love distributed, they are one in the same thing.
what does ‘love is not liking’ mean?
‘agape’ means doing good even if you don’t like it. loving and liking aren’t the same thing.
what does ‘love justifies the means’ mean?
it is the end result and not the act that counts.
what does ‘love decides there and then’ mean?
loves decisions are made situationally not prescriptively freedom away from laws is required.
what is situation ethics?
Joseph Fletcher said that each situation should be considered on its merits and should be made on ‘agape’ love. it is a half way point between legalism and antinomianism.
quote from J. Fletcher On conscience
there is no conscience, conscience is merely a word for our attempts to make a decision creativly, constructively and fittingly.
what are Fletcher’s ‘four cases’
- christian cloak and dagger2. sacrificial adultery 3. ‘himself might his quietus make’4. special bombing mission No.13
what is christian cloak and dagger
US defence agency wants an attractive female to seduce a married man so he can be vblackmailed.
what is ‘sacrificial adultery’
end of WW2 a women is arrested for foraging for food and sent to a prison camp. she can get out by falling ill or getting pregnant. she gets pregnant by a guard and is reunited with her family and the child is oved.
what is ‘himself might his quietus make’
jim is a construction engineer married with 5 kids. he finds out he has cancer, he could survive for 3 years on pills costing $40 every 3 days causing debt or 3 months without. however the insurance company finds out he has cancer it would not pay out and if he kills himself they will get $100,000 plus more from employer.
what is ‘special bombing mission No.13’
august 6th 1945 enola gay dropped atomic bomb on hiroshima. 3 days later on nagisaki. 152,000 kiled plus more L-T.
what are the positives of situation ethics
fits into way J actedpersonal freedomlove is human conditionperson centeredlove and justiceattitudinal and emotionalcan we go wrong with love as a guide?
what are the negatives of situation ethics
- too much freedom?2. it would be ‘ideal in a world of saints’ -we do not3. what is the most loving way?4. laws protect society5. NT has certain rules- theft isn’t accurate representation of NT morality6. Utopic 7. allow anything?
what are the three types of genetic engeneering
> somatic cells> germ line gene therapy> enhancement therapy
what is somatic cell engineering
genetic changes to particular genes. not passed on
what is germ line gene therapy
changing genetic material in germ line genes (reproductive cells) to eradicate diseases>mistake carried on, sickle cell anaemia stops malaria- we do not know enough.not 100% success yet. why do genetic diseases exist?> would prevent a child suffering , eradicate serious diseases
what is enhancement therapy
changing certain characteristics+, removal of genetic diseases eg mitochondrial-, designer babies, not sure how changing genes will change person, which genes do we change? two tiered society
What is Legalism
Sets rules and laws to follow> Catholics follow Natural Law> Protestants follow the Bible
What is Agape Love?
> Altristic- no reward> Non- reciprocal> non- preferential
What is Anti- Nomian
no rules or laws- ‘against law’> Luther in C16- Libertarianism and the Gnostic Claim> Libertarianism- grace and new life of Christ means it doesn’t matter what we do > Gnostic Claim- Special knowledge from God means we know what to do, do not need rules to tell us
