Situation Ethics - AO1 Flashcards
Who’s thoughts had Joseph Fletcher studied?
Archbishop William Temple
Quote William Temple on the idea of Agape
“It is axiomatic that Love should be the predominant Christian Impulse”
What type of theory is Situation Ethics
An altruistic and teleological theory
Define Agape
A greek word meaning love adopted by Christians to refer to Jesus’ sacrificial and generous love for others
Define Personalism
The belief that all good is always good for a person or persons and never abstract.
What are the 3 approaches to moral life?
Legalism - always following fixed moral rules and are universal, Fletcher saw this to be a major fault and leaded to Puritanism
Antinomianism - A person can do whatever they please (no rules), found in the ideas of Nietsche and other existentialists
Situationism - Fletcher’s belief in the rule of love that must be applied situationally
What are the 4 working principles?
1) Pragmatism - Seeking workable, practical solutions rather than using something abstract
2) Relativism - The belief that the moral act should be relative to the needs of the performer and the situation
3) Positivism - The commitment to a God of love and to love as the man requirement of a moral life
4) Personalism - Requires we place people, not principles/rules at the centre of our moral considerations
Give an example of the use of Pragmatism
- During the Bosnian conflict of 1990
- Rape was used as a weapon against civilian women
- The Church acted practically and allowed contraception as a protective method
- They found a working practical solution
Examples of Relativism? (Quote)
“Relativises the absolute not absolutise the relative” - Fletcher
- Relativise concrete rules and apply it to the needs of the performer and situation
- Jesus breaking the Sabbath to heal people
Examples of Positivism? (Quote)
“Christian ethics posits faith in God and reasons our what obedience to his commandments to love requires in any situation” - Fletcher
Examples of Personalism? (Quote)
“Love is of people, by people and for people” - Fletcher
What are the 6 propositions Fletcher presents?
1) Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all
2) The ruling norm of Christian decision is love: nothing else
3) Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else
4) Love wills the neighbours good whether we like him or not
5) Only the ends justifies the means; nothing else
6) Loves decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively
Quote for the 1st proposition
“There is only one thing that is good and right, intrinsically good regardless of the context and that one thing is love” - Fletcher
Argument for the 2nd proposition
Fletcher argues some rules from the Old Testament ate commonly broken, e.g image in worship, oaths by priests and work on Sunday
Argument for the 3rd proposition
Calculating preferential love, e.g giving blood to a mother of 3 over a convicted murderer
