Situation Ethics

Bultmann:P The only rule Jesus followed- 'love thy neighbour'

Situation ethics- maintins that something is moral if it follows the most loving course of action.

It is based on the New Testament and Fletcher opposed a deductive method of ethical reasoning.

Characteristisics: Teleological- Not based on rules but on circumstance, Relativist- Morality is based on circumstance.- therefore no fixed rules, no moral absolutes.

Four types of love in Greek mythology:

• Philios: love of a friend
• Storge: instinctive love
• Eros: ****** love-sexual attraction
• Agape: selfless, unconditional love- this is the love Fletcher had in mind.

New Testament background: John 'love eachother as i have loved you', St Paul 'Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law'.

Four working principles:

• Pragmatism: Any ethical theory must be practical
• Relativism: Situation ethics is a relative theory
• Positivism: Faith in Jesus is voluntary- freely chosen
• Personalism: Legalistic approaches put laws before people. Situation ethics puts people before laws

Six fundamental principles:

• Only one thing is instrinsically good; namely love: nothing else at all'
• Only the ends justify the means, nothing ese'
• The ruling norm of christian decision is love: nothing else'
• Love and justive are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else'
• Love wills the neighbours good, whether we like him or not'

Strengths:

• V&G- 'An alternative Christian ethic that is consisitent with the Gospel representation of Jesus'
• Provides a corrective to taking Natural Law too far.
• Flexible: allows people to deal with situations as they arise.
• Gives people the individual autonomy to make their own decisions based on the most loving course of action.
• Simplistic and uncomplicated

Weaknessess:

• V&G- 'Too speculative'
• Depending on how a person defines love, Situation Ethics may justify adultey, abortion or even genocide.
• Clarke: it is a 'recipe for moral confusion'
• V&G: It can lead to crossing boundary lines- slippery slope in Euthanasia