situation ethics

Question 1

situation ethics is an x theory

Answer 1

• relativist
• teleological/consequentialist

Question 2

4 working principles

Answer 2

1. pragmatism - choosing the outcome based on evidence not theory to practically produce love
2. relativism - right/wrong based on situation
3. positivism - not based on reason, on faith in a god of love (assertion)
4. personalism - people are of ultimate moral value, they come above the law.

Question 3

legalism

Answer 3

over reliance on rules. natural law is an example of excessive legalism.

Question 4

antinomianism

Answer 4

‘no laws’ - can act as they see fit in any circumstance as they interpret the spirit. BUT could lead to anarchy

Question 5

situationism

Answer 5

the right approach between legalism and antinomianism. using community principles to “illuminate” your situation, knowing when to apply and when there should be exceptions

Question 6

strengths of fletcher

Answer 6

+ flexibility
+ one principle to follow enables us to address difficult moral dilemmas eg axe murderer
+ agape is a good principle
+ 6+4 provides a framework
+ jesus supports over legalism
+ practical and realistic even in modern times
+ not limited to reason alone
+ follows the golden rule

Question 7

C.S. Lewis

Answer 7

• differentiates between types of love eg Storge is family , Philia is friends, Eros, and Agape (an unconditional love, greater than all others

Question 8

situation ethics weaknesses

Answer 8

• in banning absolutes, theory has no clear boundaries
• vague, what is most loving may be a matter of opinion
• McQuarrie - situation ethics is hard to apply across all society
• too subjective, can individuals discern the right action without reference to rules
• too individualistic - new testament emphasises love from duties and communities but S.E. isolates the church by abandoning tradition
• consequentialist, cannot predict future.

Question 9

fletcher on conscience

Answer 9

“the traditional error lies in thinking about conscience as a noun instead of a verb”

Question 10

mark 12:28-31

Answer 10

jesus is asked what i s most important commandment - he answers “love the lord then love thy neighbour”

Question 11

matthew 5:44

Answer 11

“love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

Question 12

mark 3:1

Answer 12

jesus - “which is lawful on the sabbath: do good or do evil, to save a life or kill”
= response to pharisees who refused to do anything on the sabbath, sabbath made for man, not man for the sabbath

Question 13

luke 10:25-37

Answer 13

the good samaritan
= rejects legalism

Question 14

fletcher quote on love

Answer 14

“love is the only universal”

Question 15

6 propositions

Answer 15

1. only one thing is intrinsically good - LOVE
   only love is truly and objectively good, everything else is only good based on how much love is served.
2. the ruing norm of christian decision is LOVE
   jesus consistently replaces old testament with love eg healing someone on the sabbath. jesus protests legalism with the pharisees. good samaritan. love challenges legalism
3. “love and justice are the same - justice is love distributed”
   quote from situation ethics. example of mother of 3 v skid row drunk. love must make estimates
4. love wills the neighbour’s good, whether we like him or not
   your neighbour is ANYONE. challenges notion that a degree of affection is needed, less emotional eg pick mother of 3 v your father.
5. only the ends justify the means
   teleological. Mrs Bergemier and other examples. Romans 3:8 disagrees
6. love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively
   fletcher justifies as jesus reacted against legalism w/ pharisees

Question 16

fletcher examples - sacrificial suicide

Answer 16

• doctors offer pills that could keep him alive for 3 years but if he didnt he woudl die in 6 months.
  = if he didnt take the pills, the insurance would come thru and his family would be left with some security

=> die

Question 17

fletcher examples - mrs bergemeier

Answer 17

• sacrificial adultery
• can only leave concentration camp if you’re pregnant but she has a family to look after.
  = she should get pregnant and use the man as a means to an end.

BUT where does it end, is any immoral act justified if you are getting back to children.

Question 18

fletcher examples - patriotic prostitition

Answer 18

• had to seduce and sleep with an enemy spy in order to lure him into blackmail and use him as a double agent.
  = do it

Question 19

neil messer

Answer 19

S.E. has not worn well - looks “distinctly thin”

Question 20

pope pius 1952

Answer 20

rejected S.S. as it can justify opposition to natural law.

also that it is “individualistic and subjective”

Question 21

augustine and barth and calvin and William Barclay

Answer 21

• humans lost ability to reason in the fall, presupposes human capacities of intuition
• barth also said that S.E. is vague as what is “the most loving thing” = better to follow divine revelation eg bible and church tradition
• Barclay - humans cannot be trusted to do the right thing and would only work if “all men were angels”

calvin, we should rely only on scripture, therefore reduces christianity to agape

Question 22

fletcher rejection of christianity

Answer 22

in Situation Ethics ‘67 describes christianity as “weird and untenable” = the theistic theory collapses.

Question 23

compared with kantianism

Answer 23

• relative v absolutist
• teleological v deontological

Question 24

comapred with util

Answer 24

• both consq, sit prioritises agape over utility.
• fletcher focuses on individual sit outcomes (personalism), util focuses on broader happiness w hedonic calc
• sit ethics is less systematic but more person-centred

Question 25

compared wiht natural law

Answer 25

- rejects rigid precepts eg primary - teleogical v deontological - if agape justifies it v deems some acts intrinsically evil regardless of outcome.

Question 26

contemporary applications of sit ethics

Answer 26

- abortion, justified if prioritises the mother's wellbeing eg health, rape. risks devaluing fetal life as "most loving" is subjective for those who think life begins at contraception - euthanasia, supports voluntary to relieve suffering, but danger of slipper slope towards non-voluntary - war, endorses military action eg humanitarian interv. pacifists argue agape demands non-violence, Matthew 5:44 "love your enemies" = unclear

Question 27

feminist critique

Answer 27

Beverly Wildung Harrison overlooks gendered power dynamics, may prioritise others' needs (mrs bergemier risks women's exploitation), doesnt address systemic inequalities.

Question 28

john frame

Answer 28

situation ethics lacks a normative framework = too subjective for consistent ethical guidance. vague and fails to provide clear moral boundaries.

Question 29

fletcher's christian context

Answer 29

Mark 12:28, Luke 10:25 it fulfills the gospel's love ethic over legalism. agape is the core, reinterpreting christian ethics as situational, not theistic or rule-based. tension as fletcher's resistance against orthodox theism (eg divine absolutes) risks alienating trad christians, who see scripture/church as authoritative.

Question 30

fletcher context

Answer 30

developed situation ethics amid moral challenges eg vietnam war, nuclear threats, sexual revolution, which questioned traditional ethics.

Question 31

bishop joan robinson

Answer 31

endorsed situation ethics as aligned with jesus' ethic of love, reinforcing its christian credentials

Question 32

fletcher quote

Answer 32

"there are no absolutes except love"

Question 33

agape definition

Answer 33

1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." pkebbbhe

Question 34

how is SE agapeistic act util

Answer 34

eg of mother of 3 v skid row drunk you choose situationally what is the most loving decision = agapeistic act utilitarianism

Question 35

Paul Ramsey

Answer 35

critiques situation ethics by arguing that moral rules grounded in love, such as a presumption against divorce except in cases like abuse or infidelity, are necessary to guide actions, rejecting Fletcher’s “act agapeism” that relies solely on love to justify decisions in each unique situation.

Question 36

fletcher gen weaknesses

Answer 36

-difficult for well-intentioned people to agree on the most loving thing eg bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki -can slip into anti-nomianism -too individualistic, NL focuses on community, SE ignores 1000 years of church tradition -where does it end, fletcher made offensive comments about the value of human life, suggesting someone with downs syndrome is not a person. -the bible does have strict rules, eg adultery, murder, theft. that does not have exceptions for agape

Question 37

Antony O'Hear

Answer 37

moral rules prohibit actions as inherently wrong eg genocide, beastiality. HE SAYS christening babies on a bonfire is an intrisically evil act despite context

Question 38

evidence of how is too individualistic

Answer 38

Proverbs 16:29 "all the living things of a man are clean in his own eyes but the lord weighs the motives" highlights the human tendency towards self-deception and self-justification.

Question 39

Mouw

Answer 39

makes no sense to adhere to some of jesus' teachings and not others eg instructed to follow 10 commandments,

Question 40

1st prop

Answer 40

1. only one thing is intrinsically good - LOVE only love is truly and objectively good, everything else is only good based on how much love is served.

Question 41

2nd prop

Answer 41

2. the ruing norm of christian decision is LOVE jesus consistently replaces old testament with love eg healing someone on the sabbath. jesus protests legalism with the pharisees. good samaritan. love challenges legalism

Question 42

3rd prop

Answer 42

3. "love and justice are the same - justice is love distributed" quote from situation ethics. example of mother of 3 v skid row drunk. love must make estimates

Question 43

4th prop

Answer 43

4. love wills the neighbour's good, whether we like him or not your neighbour is ANYONE. challenges notion that a degree of affection is needed, less emotional eg pick mother of 3 v your father.

Question 44

5th prop

Answer 44

5. only the ends justify the means teleological. Mrs Bergemier and other examples. Romans 3:8 disagrees

Question 45

6th prop

Answer 45

6. love's decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively fletcher justifies as jesus reacted against legalism w/ pharisees