Situation Ethics

Question 1

Name and explain 3 types of morality

Answer 1

Legalism- fixed moral rules
Antinomianism- no rules
Situationism- differs to each unique situation

Question 2

Name and explain the 4 working principles

Answer 2

Pragmatism- must seek practical solutions that achieve success
Relativism- relative to each unique situation
Positivism- Agape or higher love
Personalism- people (not rules) should be central to moral decision-making

Question 3

Name the 6 propositions

Answer 3

1. Only love is intrinsically good
2. Love is the ruling norm of Christian decision making
3. Love and justice are the same
4. Love wills the neighbour’s good (whether er like him or not)
5. Only the ends justifies the means
6. Love’s decisions are made situationally

Question 4

Is the theory teleological or deontological?

Answer 4

Teleological (focuses on the result/ aim, not the action)

Question 5

Quote from Will Temple (who inspired Fletcher) in support of Situation Ethics

Answer 5

‘There is only one ultimate and invariable duty, and its formula is ‘Love thy neighbour as thyself’

Question 6

Beliefs of Rudolf Bultman that supports Situation Ethics

Answer 6

Jesus taught no ethics other than ‘love they neighbour as thyself’

Question 7

Explain why situation ethics is non-religious

Answer 7

1. Fletcher himself followed it without faith
2. Roman Catholic church banned the teaching of situation ethics in Roman Catholic schools as it didn’t fit with their teachings
3. Huge moral decisions are rare (therefore useless?)
4. Some laws must be always followed to prevent crime
5. Pope Pius XII said it is un-christian as its follows are prepared to break Christian laws
6. In Romans, Paul says ‘don’t do evil so that good may come’
7. There are two elements to Christianity- ‘love they neighbour’ and God (SE does not follow both)

Question 8

Explain why situation ethics is religious

Answer 8

1. Jesus too made love central to his teachings
2. Jesus has no ethics except love thy neighbour (BULTMAN)
3. Jesus worked on the Sabbath to feed his disciples (person-centred, not legalist)
4. In Christianity, attitudes have changed (eg towards women). Absolutism is not always so absolute, and Christianity has therefore become more situational)

Question 9

Name and explain criticisms of situation ethics

Answer 9

1. As it is TELEOLOGICAL, outcomes cannot always be determined, and people do not always have all the necessary information to address the problem.
2. VAGUE- it can be difficult and slow to apply, as everything is done situationally. Love is not easily defined
3. EVIL- it allows people to do evil things in the name of love, eg adultery, lying, theft, murder
4. MISGUIDED- the ends doesn’t justify the means. Paul said you should not do evil so that good may come of it

Question 10

Name and explain strengths of situation ethics

Answer 10

1. SOCIAL JUSTICE-Agape motivates people to change things for the better, and to get rid of discrimination
2. PRAGMATIC- useful, and suggests solutions that work (one of the 4 working principles)
3. UP TO DATE- Situationism keeps it modern and changes with the times, eg marriage, homosexuality, medical ethics
4. PERSONALIST- puts people before rules eg Jesus said ‘Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath’