Situation Ethics AO2 and Essay Plans

Question 1

Strengths of Situation Ethics

Answer 1

• provides a clear alternative to Chrisitan ethics that is consistent to the Jesus represented in the Gospels.
• Some would argue that it is more in line with Jesus’s teachings than following all the rules in the Bible.
• Situation ethics is flexible and practical. It Takes into account how complex human life is and can make tough decisions when, from a legalistic stance, all actions seem wrong.
• It is easy to understand: you follow a simple principle.
• You don’t have to follow a conventional rule, if that it goes against your deepest sense of what love requires.
• It is based on love, which, rationally as well as emotionally, is a key feature of all moral systems.

Question 2

Weaknesses of Situation Ethics

Answer 2

• It is subjective - we don’t always have the fact to make a sound decision, no clear boundaries.
• It is individualistic - what is the most loving thing to someone, is not to another.
• It is prepared to accept any action as long as the outcome is supposed to be loving.
• It is inconsistent with some teachings in the Bible.
• How often do we face extreme cases where it is obvious what the most loving things is? People need to be practical an Fletcher’s illustrations aren’t relevant for most people.
• People would mean to do the most loving thing but our personal preferences and wants will always get in the way

Question 3

Barclays main criticisms

Answer 3

1. Barclay said the examples Fletcher uses to illustrate situation ethics are extreme cases. He said “It is much easier to agree that extraordinary measure than to think there are no laws for ordinary life”
2. He said that the suggestion that laws could be abandoned if needed was too optimistic. Humans need laws for protection etc and how would people know when it was “the most loving thing” to abandon them? A circumstance to one, may not be to another.
3. He argued that it is hard for individuals to make their own moral decisions in everyday situations. We can be swayed by emotion or fear and persuade ourselves that we are doing the most loving thing when we are really doing the thing that suits us the most.

Question 4

Situation ethics is a religious theory

Answer 4

-Jesus asked to sum up the whole of the Jewish law, he suggested only 2 commandments are needed.- ‘love God’, ‘love your neighbour as yourself’
-In the NT, Jesus is frequently seen to oppose the legalism of the Pharisees of his day- he gives moral principles not hard and fast rules.
-Jesus argues that love is the primary evidence of the genuine of the religious faith “ you are moral disciples if you have love for one another”-John 13
-Fletcher claims that the theory of situation ethics is based on a modern and more holistic reading of the Bible, thhe reading seems to advocate situation ethics , as it is our moral responsibility to follow the example of Jesus Christ
this gives it credence to be a Christian/religious theory

Question 5

Situation Ethics is not a religious theory

Answer 5

-Fletcher’s reading of the the word os Jesus is highly subjective- he condemns divorce and adultery quite clearly and references hell more than he references heaven.
-Jesus tells his disciples if they love him they are to obey his commandments- implying other commandments than love - interpretation of agape as unconditional wishing the best for our neighbour is not explicitly Christian- little difference between situation ethics and act utilitarianism- an atheist ethical theory.
-Jesus, generally only broke cultural and cultic laws that were either loosely based on scripture or totally derived from another source, not the strict moral laws as laid down in the 10 commandments, which instead he strengthens and he insists that he stands up for.
-In his greatest commandment- to love your neighbour- Jesus also calls for the love of God, this is generally understood to mean following God’s laws and commandments as well as his example.
-far too much to claim to be a Christian theory compounded by the fact that Fletcher soon himself became and atheist and actively opposed many laws laid down in the Bible.
-There is confusion as how one best serves love. In this Christian context, which this theory is heavily marketed as, this could be taken to mean serving God, who is love and this following the commandments stated in the Bible, as well as following love, defeated the point of situation ethics
-As stated by St Paul in Galatians as although he highlights the importance of love, he says that the law is necessary and allows one to be saved by Christ
“Is the law opposed to the promises of God?, certainly not”
-PAPAL CRITICISMS

Question 6

Strengths and weaknesses of situation ethics and subjectivism

Answer 6

-In fletchers theory, he claims that the existing legalistic approaches to Christian moral philosophies are generally helpful to the individual in real world ethical dilemmas. One of the reasons he gives that is that they lead to people loving laws and not people. By stripping back all the existing laws and placing the prerogative on the person, armed with all the knowledge that one must best serve love, Fletcher suggests that situation ethics allows one to come to a decision on what best to do based on genuine love for the other person.

Question 7

Weaknesses of Situation ethics and subjectivism

Answer 7

• The ambiguity of the theory can lead to dubious decisions, such as the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an example put forward by Fletcher himself.
• the ethicist John McQuarrie said that “situationists expect an extraordinary degree of moral sensitivity and perceptiveness”
• Situation ethics ignores the fact both that humans are limited in their ability to fully understand an ethical situation and to be selfless or perceptive enough to identify the most loving thing to do.