Strenghts And Weaknesses Flashcards
What are the strengths of Situation ethics?
-gives a personalist and relativist approach which allows choices to be tailored to bespoke individual circumstances (lies in stark contrast to l which fails to take into account context or potential harm by following ridgid rules)
-he does this by focusing “agape” prioritising well being and individual needs assserting that “sometimes you need to push aside your principle to fit be right thing”
-in line with fletchers 5th fundamental posposition stating that the end or outcome of an action can justify the means if it results in greater good. When asked if the end justifies the means, Fletcher responded, “Then what on earth does?” This principle means that strict adherence to rules or laws is not enough if it leads to harm; the outcome must be considered.
-for example Fletcher’s well known example of Mrs Bergemeier imprisoned in a foreign county illustrates his focus on agape: her only way to return to her family to conceive a child with one of the guards, an act deontological ethics would condemn as adultrey
-reflects Jesus’ teaching “the sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath”
-pragmatic
What is a weakness of Flecher’s situation ethics?
-One significant weakness of situation ethics is that it disregards the importance of established laws and rules that society has built up over time, which are grounded in collective experience and reflection.
-William Barclay, a notable theologian, argued that “law is the distillation of experience” and represents the accumulated wisdom and insight of society. He posited that “to discard law is to discard experience,” implying that by rejecting fixed moral laws, situation ethics risks ignoring the valuable lessons learned from past actions and their consequences.
-Laws are not simply arbitrary rules; they serve to guide behavior based on what has been found beneficial for individuals and the community as a whole.
-Therefore, situation ethics’ reliance on the subjective interpretation of love can lead to a lack of consistency
How does Fletcher’s situation ethics deviate from some of the moral views from the New Testament (weakness)?
-While Fletcher emphasises love as the central principle for decision-making, the New Testament does include clear moral directives and commandments that do not necessarily fit within the flexible, situational framework that situation ethics advocates.
-For example, in the New Testament, there are explicit teachings that denounce theft and adultery as sinful acts. In Matthew
Jesus says, “Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false testimony,” indicating that there are moral boundaries that should not be crossed.
-Fletcher’s approach, which states that “love justifies the means” and that moral decisions should be made based on situational context, might conflict with these clear, absolute teaching suggesting that Fletcher oversimplifies the complex nature of New Testament morality, where love is indeed central but does not negate the presence of concrete moral commands.
