Theme 3: Situation Ethics Flashcards
The Church of England
- seen as self satisfying/traditional
- was at odds/oblivious to radical change from it’s members - Paul Tillich, Rudolph Bultmann and Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- ideas that influenced them came from Soren KierKegaard
Joseph Fletcher 1905 - 1991
- Published a book called ‘Situation Ethics: the new morality’
- advocate a new approach to Christian ethics and moral decisions promoting a compromise called the middle way
- he created this approach because absolute moral principles held by the church of problematic, inconsistent and have too many contradictions
- situation must be considered first
- Love equals agape
- Moral principles can be cast aside if love is being served
- Questions such as do not kill even if it’s in self defence?
Middle Way
This approach was a theological way of meeting a practical need in light of radical changes
John Robinson
Author of honest to God saw Fletcher’s book as the only ethic for man’s coming of age
Paul Tillich Quote
“ love is the ultimate law”
What is situation ethics?
A hybrid theory, a combination of both deontological and teleological
“morality of an action depends on the situation”
What are the three approaches to ethics?
- Legalistic ethics (Natural Law)
- Antinomian Ethics (Against Law)
- Situation Ethics (Middle Way)
Legalistic Ethics (Natural Law)
- requires a strict adherence to rules
- no consideration to individual, situation or outcome
- Fletcher opposes the legalistic view as he believed it was too prescriptive by the depriving freedom
- an approach that enters into every decision-making process encumbered with a whole apparatus of rules and regulations
Antinomian Ethics (Against Law)
- freedom of individuals without reference to any rules
- on principle and immoral world = law breaking
- an individual does not need to comply with religious rules
- leads to chaos if there is no order
- follows a course from one situation to another
- “Fletcher rejects both ideas he appears to fear more than antinomian”
Situation Ethics (Middle Way)
- moral dilemma with the ethics, rules and approaches
- cast rules aside if if love (Christian Love) has a greater importance
- if outcome is most loving, do that
- altruism is selfless towards others
- good Samaritan example
- “moral principle can be cast aside in certain situations if love is best served”
Existentialism
- philosophy proposing the individual is free and responsible to determine their own development
- Fletcher referred to his system of ethics as a principle relative ism a situation ethics is teleological, relative and consequential theory of ethics concerned with the outcome of an action not an intrinsically wrong action
Moral Relativist Theory
Situation ethics is a relative theory because it’s recognises no universal moral norms
Consequential Theory
Judgement based on consequence and outcome
Teleological Theory
And purpose of goal is to bring agape love to all
“there can be no system of situation ethics, but only a method of situational or contextual decision-making”
The Boss Principle (Agape)
- Jesus recognition of the greatest Commandment to love God is your neighbour and as yourself
- agape is Greek the idea of pure unconditional, sacrificial love that was a virtuous character and work of Jesus
- virtuous love, identifies and developed by Augustine and Aquinas (natural law) is a superlative virtue
- Aheb describe spontaneous and impulsive love towards God and fellow human beings and embraces all
- Augustine was right to make love the source principle the hinge principle upon which all other that she hang with a cardinal or theological
Agape
- “love is the only universal. But love is not something we have or are, it’s something we do.”
- “the law of love is the ultimate law… It concerns everything”
- it stated other laws only guidelines to how to achieve love and therefore they may be broken if the other course of action would result in more love - teleological approach
- love is patient and kind
- Fletcher defined love or something that is a doing thing and not something we have are we are there are no directions or steps
Role of Consciousness
- internal, intuitive guide to good and bad
- it is not something that exists inside us, but a driving for guiding us to use Agape
- Fletcher says conscious functions works by looking forward towards prospect applications and moral problems not adhering to a set of rules with your conscience depends upon
- “a conscience is merely a word for our attempt to make decision decisions constructively”
- good Samaritan example
- Saint Paul example
The Four Working Principles
- Pragmatism
- Relativism
- Positivism
- Personalism
Pragmatism
- has to be practical and workable
- no practical good if it falls flat in practice
- “all are good” and “do not kill”
- Jody and Mary example the conjoined twins not to be practical letting both die therefore doing the loving thing by saving one
Relativism
- “there must be an absolute or normal of some kind of there is to be truly relative”
- relatives, the absolute, not absolute relative and relative to love
- rules don’t apply love takes over therefore helping those in need it is relative to the situation
- for example, abortion is acceptable in cases of rape
Positivism
- statement of faith are agreed to an accepted voluntarily as an act of faith; reason works out the app appreciation of this faith
- person freely chooses to believe in agape
- faith comes first
- “understand love in terms of God has seen in Jesus Christ” - love is the most important thing of all
Personalism
- “man was not made for Sabbath, but Sabbath made for man”
- to do with people, not things
- help humans people come before rules
- “do not lie”
The Six Fundamental Principles
- Love only is always good
- love is the only norm
- love and justice are the same
- love is not liking
- love justifies means
- love decided there and then
‘Love Only is Always Good’
- “only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love; nothing else at all”
- only with God is love a property because God is love
- love is an active principle related to people and the way we perform act
- sacrificial adultery example -woman sleeping with a guard to be pregnant so she can go home to a family
‘Love is the Only Norm’
- “to love christianity is a matter of attitude, not a feeling. Love is critical, not sentimental”
- Sabbath quote
- situation is respectful of law as the purpose of law is a distillation of spirit of love rather than compendium of legalistic rules
- Martin Luther Luther King example
‘Love and Justice are the Same’
- “justice is the many sadness of love”
- giving love of agape establishes justice by allocating human beings to which they are entitled
- justice done equals love served
- a child starving, a man arrested without charge are injustice example
‘Love is not Liking’
- “love Will the neighbours good, whether we like him or not” or “love thy enemies” - most radical obligation within Christianity displaying self emptying love like Jesus
- love does not discriminate
- good Samaritan example - enemy becomes hero
‘Love Justifies the Means’
- “only the end justifies the means; nothing else”
- ethics is a teleological exercise and not deontological
- if an action causes harm, it is wrong and if the action causes good, it is right only the end or outcome can justify
- Bonhoeffer example - tried to kill Adolf Hitler
‘Love decides there and then’
- “loves decisions are made situationally, not perceptively”
- seek out laws leading tomorrow laws
- all ethical decision decisions must be situation based not law based
- abortion or euthanasia example
Joseph Fletcher quote on Six Fundamental Principles
“unless some purpose or ends in view, to justify or sanctity it, any action we take is literally meaningless”
Religious Incompatibility
- rejects absolute more laws, e.g. 10 Commandments such as do not kill
- fails to consider religious traditions or teachings, e.g. Bible states sex should only take place in marriage
- rules Jesus broke were more religious conversions rather than moral laws
- “at no time did Jesus set aside a significant moral law”
Religious Compatibility
- six fundamental principles is love will the good of others regardless of feelings example Good Samaritan
- liberal religious believers make moral decisions by using active selfless love
- models altruistic love which is a major feature of many religions - love one another as I have loved you
Joseph Fletcher views on Homosexuality
- he is unhappy with the church on approached a sexuality and argues human law and attitudes were outdated of the time
- Wolfenden report, concerned laws are regarding public and private behaviour and he stated it should not be the duty of law to concern itself with matters of immorality
- Fletcher wrote sex offences: an ethical view
- he agrees with all love
- propose a sex laws should be restricted to stop violence and prostitution
Roman Catholic views on Homosexuality
- not welcomed in Saint Paul states they won’t inherit kingdom of heaven
- “you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female”
- goes against the “go forth and multiply“
- full suggest as a result of the fall men gave up natural relations with women
Modern viewpoint on Homosexuality
- allowed same-sex marriages
- Anglican Church may bless couple
- liberal Christians accept homosexuality as a form of love
- Christians were made in the image of God ‘imego dei’ we are unique
- Methodist Christians don’t have a specific stance/ open for interpretation
Bishop Gene Robinson
- regards lovers central theme of God’s moral law agape itself in commitment
- “for the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbour as yourself”
- “do not judge or you will be judged”
Situation Ethics views on Homosexuality
- offers a less rigid approach to issue such as homosexuality where traditional Christian ethics is a odds
- e.g. Roman Catholics believe a quietness natural law with a homosexuality is wrong while situation ethics recognises rules can exist, not the ontological or immoral as love is the only norm and it is good in itself
- however does not approve a free love or spontaneous love and seeks equal treatment for everyone who acts out of love
- love is the only rule you need to abide by
Personalism in view of Homosexuality
The person who is the centre of concern, people come before rules, love of the same sex couples and their feelings come before teachings of homosexuality
Pragmatism in view of Homosexuality
Christians may say gay couples may live together but no physical relationship, regarded as immoral. It is not pragmatic and likely leads to frustration than loving outcome
Relativism in view of Homosexuality
Fletcher insists in situation ethics everything had to be relative to love therefore for a same-sex couple situation becomes relative to them. All rules are cast aside
Posativism in view of Homosexuality
Freely choosing that God is love, so giving first place to Christian love and thus stating God will love you no matter your sex orientation
Polyamory
Definition = having a loving relationship with more than one individual, abnormal ethical deviation rather than one alternative acceptable Practice and the Bible never condone this practice
* around since group times, can be informal, short-term or long-term
* no set definition but is like any other loving relationship distant from casual sex, prostitution, adultery or hierarchical sex
* has communication and trust and equality the same as any normal relationship
Fletcher’s Belief on Polyamory
- “Whether any form of sex is good or evil depends on whether love is fully served”
- sexual relationships were no matter of personal individual freedom
- or relationship should have equal rights
