Situation ethics
- Created by: Rhianna Hall
- Created on: 13-12-13 09:15
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- Situation ethics
- Intro
- based on Jesus' gosp teach or agape - love
- involves doing what is best for other person uncond in sit
- relativist theory - diff value systems - set rules to foll
- Consequentalist theory - is interested in end res of actions
- with this eth sys, nothing can be declared as 'wrong'/ 'bad'
- action may be justified if seen as most loving act in sit
- Protestants impressed
- action may be justified if seen as most loving act in sit
- based on J's golden rule
- "Do to others as you would have done to you"
- means we should do what best serves love
- "Do to others as you would have done to you"
- 1st para
- devel by Fletcher (1905-1991)
- American professor - founded sit eth in 1963- whilst sexual rev, cold war, black civ rights etc
- priest - later renouced faith & belief in God - became atheist
- bel mor ?thing to do = most loving
- "The situationist follows a moral law or violates it according to love's need"
- appealed to Rudolf Bultmann
- according to whom J taught no ethics other than
- "Love thy neighbour"
- according to whom J taught no ethics other than
- distinguished sit eth from legalism & antinomianism
- leg- set of mor rules - we should all follow
- fletcher critical of this
- ? bel that life's complexities req add laws e.g. murder in self-defence
- thought system became complex - have to check what is ?/ x in every sit
- fletcher critical of this
- ant - opp of leg - no eth system - 'against law'
- Fletcher critical
- spontaneous mor dec
- "are, exactly anarchic - i.e. without a rule"
- means lead to most loving act in sit
- "are, exactly anarchic - i.e. without a rule"
- spontaneous mor dec
- Fletcher critical
- leg- set of mor rules - we should all follow
- J demonstrated the greatest love to us -in laying down his life for our sins
- "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13)
- devel by Fletcher (1905-1991)
- 2nd para
- fetcher states - 4 'working principles'
- 1) pragmatism - mor act msut work/ achieve some realistic goal
- e.g. conjoined twins -better to save one than let both die - most loving
- 2) relativism - no fixed rules/ laws which must always be obeyed
- e.g. stealing is wrong, but if stealing for the hungry, be most loving
- 3) positivism - 1st place is love, rooted in faith
- 4) Personalism - people come first, not rules/ideals
- 1) pragmatism - mor act msut work/ achieve some realistic goal
- 6 'fundamental principles'
- ways to interpret agape
- 1) 1 thing is intrinsically good, which is love
- 1) a lie isnt always instinsically wrong
- 2) the ruling norm of xian decision is love
- 2) love is always best, which means it is the most loving choice in the sit
- 3) love & justice are the same
- 3) can be no love without justice
- if love was propoerly shared out, there'd be no injustice
- 3) can be no love without justice
- 4) love wills the neighbours good, whether we like him or not
- 4) Xian love is non-selfish - best in a sit as most loving
- 5) only the end justifies the mean, nothing else
- 5) if an act causes harm, then it is wrong
- 6) love's decisions are made sit, not prescriptively
- you decide there and then the most loving act - means most loving dec will be made
- these apply to sit eth ? they help make a decision about most loving thing to do in the sit
- fetcher states - 4 'working principles'
- part B
- 1st para
- many :)
- system is a xian one --> consistent with J's teachings
- :) ? xians can follow approach even if it goes against biblical teachings
- flexible relativist system
- :) ? it enables people to make tough decisions in sit's
- Untitled
- system enables love (agape)
- :) as surely everyone agrees that this is a good thing
- avoids conflict of duty as one experiences in absolute systems
- :) ? where moral rules collide, sit eth gives a way of resolving the conflict, by using love
- system is a xian one --> consistent with J's teachings
- many :)
- 2nd para
- many :(
- xian system
- athesits & people of other rels may not want to follow example of J - don't believe in him
- unprincipled relativist system
- :( as could allow for almost any action, such as murder if it is the most loving thing in the sit
- 'love' is very subjective
- :( as people will naturally disagree about what loving beh is
- difficult to predict the future results of act
- :( as making consequentialist decisions based on love in unreliable
- xian system
- many :(
- Conc
- I think most loving choice in every senario is best choice, as love is a fundamental basic for human life
- without love and decisions based on it, the world wouldn't be a very loving place
- I think most loving choice in every senario is best choice, as love is a fundamental basic for human life
- 1st para
- Intro
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