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Ethics > Situation ethics > Flashcards

Situation ethics Flashcards

1
Q

Who is Joseph Fletcher?

A

American moral theologian- Published a book called situation ethics; the new morality 1966.

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2
Q

What was Fletcher’s approach to Christian ethics?

A
  • considered each situation on its own merits

- applying the christian principle of love (agape)

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3
Q

What does Fletcher ague about moral principles?

A

Moral principles do not work in the real world and that in order to make a meaningful ethical decision, the situation needs to be considered for each individual moral decision and action.
- decision depends on upon the practical application of christian love.

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4
Q

Agape?

A

selfless love

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5
Q

Situation ethics calls for the practical application for what?

A

Of christian love to a given situation.

The situation and context come first and principles are put aside.

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6
Q

Fletcher sees his approach to ethics as what?

A

As grounded in the christian gospel.

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7
Q

Fletcher sees love as what?

A

active principle- it is a ‘doing’ thing rather than a noun in its self.

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8
Q

What does the new testament say about agape?

A
  • pure, unconditional christian love.

- is love which is disinterested and seeks only the benefit of someone who is loved.

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9
Q

Agape demands that people do what?

A

people love their neighbours and also their enemies.

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10
Q

Agape love is what?

A

self- sacrificing

not self- interested

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11
Q

Fletcher thought that the ‘law of love’ should do what?

A

Guide people to moral decision making
people- aim to do the most loving thing.- consequences of action produce the most loving situation then they are doing the right thing.

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12
Q

What were Fletcher’s four working principles?

A

They are used to guide people how to think when coming to a moral decision.

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13
Q
  1. pragmatism?
A
  • based on experience rather than on theory.
  • course of action to be right- must be practical.
  • instead of following the abstract principles of philosophy- pragmatist, looks for something which will work in practical circumstances.
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14
Q

example of pragmatism?

A

conjoined twins- jodie and mary
catholic church- let both girls die.- kill one& saving the other would be evil or a bad act.
Fletcher- disagreed- letting both girls die is not pragmatic.- more use and more practical to save one girl at the expense of the other.
- Not consequentialist- love that is good not the outcome- Fletcher’s theory similar to singers utilitarianism.

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15
Q
  1. Relativism?
A

-Based on making the absolute laws of christian ethics relative.
- rules not fixed or absolute can be changed according to the situation.
‘it relativizes the absolute, it does not absolutize the relative’

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16
Q

Example of relativism?

A

Absolutes such as ‘do not steal’ become relative to love- love demands stealing food for the hungry, you steal.
Doesn’t mean ‘ anything goes’- does not take a relative ‘do whatever the situation demands’ and make it absolute.

17
Q
  1. Positivism?
A
  • belief in the reality and importance of love.
  • Kant & natural law are based on reason- reason can uncover the right course of action. situation ethics DISAGREES. - Have to start with positive choice- you need to want to do good.
18
Q

What is personalism?

A

people matter more than laws. - The needs of people should considered when moral actions are taken.

  • Situation ethics put people first.
  • people more important than rules.
19
Q

Example of personalism?

A

‘man was not made for the sabbath’
fletchers God has a relationship with humanity.
- God is applicable to human relationships
Fletcher- pauls ideas- 1 corinthians 13- christians should not sit in judgement on other people.

20
Q

What are the six propositions used for?

A

used to consider when making a moral decision.

21
Q

1st proposition?

A

‘LOVE ONLY IS ALWAYS GOOD’- Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good; namely love; nothing else at all.-
only thing intrinsically good is agapeic love. Other things are good depending on whether they produce loving results, but agapeic love is good intrinsically, for its own sake.

22
Q

2nd proposition?

A

LOVE IS THE ONLY NORM(rule)- ‘ the ruling norm of Christian decision is love; nothing else.- love replaces the law- Jesus summarized the entire law- by saying ‘love God’ and ‘ love your neighbour’
Fletchers gives examples of rules which can be broken by Jesus when it is necessary for bringing about loving results.

23
Q

What is the Criticism for following Love is the only norm?

A
  • it allows the individual to do anything in the name of Love- there are no rules to say that someone has done the wrong thing.
24
Q

What is the third proposition?

A

LOVE AND JUSTICE ARE THE SAME- Love and justice are the same thing- for justice is love distributed nothing else’ -
There can be no love without justice. Justice is done when people act with love in a rational manner for the benefit of the community.

25
Q

Example of 3rd proposition- Love and justice are the same thing?

A

a starving child- a man arrested without charge ect- these are examples of a lack of love- love probably shared out there would be no injustice.

26
Q

What is the 4th proposition?

A

LOVE IS NOT LIKING- ‘ Love wills the neighbours good whether we like him or not’.- Love does not depend on emotional likes and dislikes but it is an act of will, a deliberately chosen attitude.

27
Q

What is the 5th proposition?

A

LOVE ONLY JUSTIFIES THE MEANS- ‘ only the end justifies the means; nothing else’- When someone said to fletcher ‘ the end doesn’t justify the means’- ‘Then what on earth does?. If an action causes harm , it is wrong.- If good comes out of it- it is right.

Fletcher says that you cannot claim to be right by following a rule.- knowing is will cause great harm. - only the end or outcome can justify your action.

28
Q

What is the 6th proposition?

A

LOVE DECIDES THERE AND THEN.- decisions vary according to the situation.
There are no rules about what should or shouldn’t be done- In each situation, you should decide there and then what the most loving thing to do is.

29
Q

What is Fletchers understanding of the conscience?

A
  • does not guide human action
  • Is not a store of reliable rules to which people can refer.
  • It is not a kind of inner voice with access to divine truth.
  • is a verb not a noun
  • describes what people do when they are trying to make moral decisions and are weighing up things.
30
Q

What is a strength of situation ethics?

A

seeking maximum agape- selfless love- useful principle in any situation when making a moral decision- as love for others will always be considered as a good thing.

31
Q

What is another strength of situation ethics?

A

Agape is a relevant concept in the twenty- first century. - understood as wanting the best for others- argued that ‘love thy neighbour’ is not an outdated statement.

32
Q

Strength- regarding the six propositions and four working principles?

A

Provide useful guidance for moral decision making and prevent situation ethics from being entirely individualistic and subjective.

33
Q

strength to situation ethics?

A
  • The acknowledgement that fletcher felt that rules should generally be followed- breaking them not a decision to be taken lightly;- the idea that situation ethics has little to no guidance and no social cohesion is false- people should be following a legalistic system with exceptions being made only in rare, extreme cases.
34
Q

Weakness of situation ethics?

A
  • moral decision making- cannot be simply bases on whether, in any given situation agape is best served.
35
Q

weakness of situation ethics regarding the ‘ first century biblical concept of agape’

A
  • First century biblical concept of agape- cannot be applied to moral decision making in the twenty first century.
36
Q

Weakness of situation ethics? what does it make morality?

A
  • Makes morality subjective- no fact whether can action is right or wrong, merely different opinions.
  • seems to contradict basic Christian beliefs about God making the world with a particular design and purpose for humans.
37
Q

Weakness of situation ethics?- regarding being criticised for being individualistic?

A

individual has too much control or influence, and people tend to be selfish. If I am given complete freedom with no rules governing me- likely to misuse this power.

38
Q

Weakness of situation ethics? reference to agape love?

A

Agape- an unselfish, unconditional love- is a great ideal but is rarely achieved in practice. people need rule to live by, and cant really be trusted to do the right thing without those rules.\

Ethics (12 decks)

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