Situational Ethics Flashcards
Agape
Greek word for ‘love’ adopted by the early Christians to refer to Jesus’ sacrificial and generous love
Altruism
a theory that puts the needs of others before those of oneself
Antinomianism
rules and regulations should be rejected- no laws
Conscience
the term variously used to refer to the process of moral reasoning, something within us, insights from God etc. Fletcher saw it as a function rather than a faculty.
Extrinsically Good
good is defines in terms of the end result rather than the good in and of itself. fletcher argued that love was intrinsically good.
Justice
fair distribution of benefits for all. Fletcher sees it as ‘tough love’ (love applied to the world)
Legalism
an approach that reduces the moral life to system of regulations
Metaethics
the branch of ethics concerned with the justification of ethics and meaning of the language used. it would be a metaethical question to ask what we mean by the term good.
Personalism
the belief that all good is always good for a person or persons, and never abstract. goodness must always be experienced as good by someone.
Positivism
according to fletcher, the commitment to a God of love as the main requirement of the ethical life.
Pragmatism
seeking workable, practical solutions rather than trying to find something abstract
Relativism
according to fletcher, the belief that the moral act should always be relative to the needs of both the performer and the situation
Situation Ethics
view espoused by Joseph Fletcher that there is a single, absolute principle of love to be applied in each situation to produce the best outcome
Teleological theories
any theory in which rightness s determined by outcome
Eros
romantic, passionate love, sexual
