situation ethics

Question 1

WHAT IS SITUATION ETHICS

Answer 1

Fletcher explains nothing is intrinsically good except love. Rules can help us, but they cannot tell us what to do, they are subservient to love.

Its a telelgolocial experiences reaching a goal
he believes we didnt need law to live our lives.
Situation ethics takes the situation into account, give people clear guidance and avoids moral chaos. It does this by claiming that love is the one single absolute principle which should be applied to all situations.
The action that is good is the one which has the most loving consequence in the situation you are in.

Question 2

Six Fundamental Principles

Answer 2

S.E. = middle ground road to moral decision making and Fletcher gave 6 propositions as an overview of this theory.

1.Love only is always good: Everything else has conditional value depending on whether it helps or hurts people, but love is always unconditionally and therefore intrinsically good

2.Love is the only norm (rule) e.g. Love is the ultimate guiding principle in Christian decision-making, replacing absolute laws. Examples include Jesus’ actions on the Sabbath

3.Love and justice are the same: maximising agape is the only ethical goal. justice reduces to love, it is merely the question of how widely and fairly love is distributed. It involves calculating duties and obligations for the well-being of the whole community.

4.Love is not liking: agape must apply to everyone. Jesus called on us to love our neighbour no matter who they are, which includes people we don’t like. Love desires the good of others, regardless of personal feelings. It’s not based on preference but on benevolence and goodwill, extending even to those considered unlikable

6.Love justifies the means: (about the outcome)Fletcher’s consequentialism. If the consequence of an action is the most loving possible then it is good, it doesn’t matter what the action is

5.Love decides there and then

Question 3

strengths of the 6 propositions

Answer 3

• Gives humans to decide what is best in each situation
• it does not give big rules and regulation what to do & how to act but instead it appreciates the grey areas of life
• gives humans the ability to use their reason = a flexible/practical approach to ethics.

Question 4

weakness of the 6

Answer 4

the end justifies the means = does any human rights matter if they can be broken at any time just to genertae more love? e.g. killing innocents to save others

Question 5

Fletcher’s views on conscience

Answer 5

something we do, the whole experience is the VERB of conscience.
Fletcher thought that the conscience was what enabled you to figure out the requirements of agape in your situation, indicating he disagreed with the traditional view that conscience is an internal moral compass or mental ability to intuitively know what is right or wrong.

Question 6

The four working principles

Answer 6

• Pragmatism. An action that must be able to achieve and must be practical.
• Relativism; rejection of absolute moral standards such as laws e.g. braking the rules for the right reasons = stealing food to save a starving child.
• Positivism: faith in love. Proposing something as good or true without demonstrating
• Personalism: Person-centred. People first over the law.

Question 7

Three approaches to Morality

Answer 7

1. Legalistic ethics
2. Situational ethics : moral decisions should serve love, even if it means from deviating from traditional rules or principles
3. Antominianism

Question 8

Legalistic ethics

Answer 8

Has a set of pre-existing moral rules and regulations that govern how people approach ethical dilemma

Follows the law (Bible = scripture and Aquinas)

But Fletcher says that theres provlems with this. E.G. Bonhoeffer on breaking the law to maximise love= its too strict/rigid.
May not be applicable in modern times

Question 9

Antinomian

Anti-law

Answer 9

Complete opposite of legalistic ethics

• Entering decision making with spontaneity, as if each situation is unique
• It’s a form of awareness

However, fletcher criticised this as he believes that this it not ethical = its lawless/unprincipled
He believe both legalistic and Anti-law is too extreme

Question 10

Joseph fletcher :1905

Answer 10

American philosopher
His work focused on Christian and medieval ethics
Book called “situation ethics” published 1966

“Love is a deep feeling of respect and caring of another, no betrayal”

“All you need is love”

To him, SE was the only way forward = promoted agape, uncondicationally

Question 11

Greek word of ‘love’

Answer 11

Agape: unconditional love - given freely.

Eros: physical/sexual love & desires

Storage: love for animals or things

Philos: strong love between friends and family but not sexual love

Question 12

strengths

humanity has come of age

Answer 12

Fletcher and Robinson argue (influenced by Bonhoeffer) that humanity has ‘come of age’. meaning that humanity has become more mature.

In medieval time, when humanity had not come of age, people in general were less educated and less self-controlling.

Now people are more civilised, to the point that granting them more autonomy will increase love without risking the stability of society.

Question 13

strengths

the bible teachings (love)

Answer 13

Fletcher focuses on what is arguably the most prevalent ethical theme of the Bible – love.
This is the approach of many liberal Christians, that the Bible, especially the teachings of Jesus and ethics of St Paul are mainly focused on love and things which follow from love like forgiveness.

based on the NT

Question 14

streghths

personalist

Answer 14

puts people before rules
jesus said ‘sabbath was made for man, not man for sabbath’

Question 15

strengths

relativist

Answer 15

its flexible, allowing response to be from different context
“sometimes you have to push aside your principles and do the right thing”

Question 16

strengths

Fletcher’s situation ethics is justified by the approach of Jesus

Answer 16

Situation ethics fits with the approach to ethics taken by Jesus, who did seem to overturn rules (like that of Moses’ eye for an eye), allow us to break rules like the sabbath and said that the greatest rule was to love your neighbours as yourself

Question 17

weakness

Fletcher’s situation ethics is justified by the approach of Jesus

Answer 17

Fletcher does not provide us with what the definition of love is.
Loving your neighbour was proclaimed the ‘greatest’ commandment by Jesus. If one command is greater than another, then it seems like that means it takes priority and thus the less great rule should be broken if that’s the loving thing to do.
Fletcher’s situation ethics is a reasonable interpretation of what Jesus said. It’s hard to see what Jesus could have meant by agape being the greatest commandment except that it was greater than the others which seem to imply taking precedence over them.

Question 18

weakness

the subjectivity of agape

Answer 18

• The subjectivity of agape is a criticism of situation ethics which claims that people have very different opinions about what counts as loving which suggests that it is subjective, meaning mind-dependent.
• Even a Nazi might think they are being loving when acting on their beliefs, because they genuinely think the world will be a better place if they do so. If it’s possible for anyone to believe that anything is loving, surely it’s too unstable a basis for ethics.
• This also suggests that it’s not a religious theory as if situation ethics is subjective it cannot depend on an objective ethics from God.

Question 19

weakness

relativism leads to antinomianism.

Answer 19

• Catholics believe in the sanctity of life which means life has intrinsic value. This means that no matter what the pragmatic situation is, the value of life cannot be relativized, thus they would reject Fletcher’s working principles of pragmatism and relativism

E.G. mother theresa claimed “the greatest threat to world peace is abortion. If a mother can kill her own child in her own womb, what is left to stop us from killing one another?”

• This Catholic argument is based on Aquinas’ natural law, which is the idea that God designed us to live a certain way which involves preserving human life.
• If we go against that then our society will break down because leads to immorality and social disorder.
• Fletcher’s situationism thus leads to antinomianism.

Question 19

weakness of the 6

Answer 19

the end justifies the means = does any human rights matter if they can be broken at any time just to genertae more love? e.g. killing innocents to save others

Question 20

context

Answer 20

Situation ethics emerged at a time when traditional religious morality was facing drastic and permanent change. e.g. sexual revolution

Question 21

Approaches to moral thinking

Answer 21

• Situationism in ethics is influenced by Christian theologians who emphasise interpreting moral guidance contextually rather than relying solely on rules or principles.
• The Christian response advocated by situationists is based on a message of forgiving grace and love, inspired by theologians like Bultmann, Barth, and Bonhoeffer.
• Karl Barth argued for the individual and specific nature of God’s commands, allowing for flexibility in moral decision-making and the possibility of morally justifiable actions, such as breaking moral laws like abortion.
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer believed that determining God’s will in concrete situations is based on the needs of one’s neighbor and the example of Jesus, as opposed to strict rules or principles. He emphasised we should act according to these principles

Question 22

Agape love

Answer 22

• Some ethical perspectives prioritise love, particularly agape, or unconditional love, as the highest moral principle.
• Christianity, rooted in love, emphasised agape as demonstrated by the commandment to love one’s neighbour and even enemies.
• Agape love is self-sacrificing and exemplified by God’s love for humanity, demonstrated through the sacrifice of his son.
• This perspective contrasts with utilitarianism’s focus on maximizing happiness and Kantianism’s pursuit of the highest good (summum bonum).

Question 23

Fletchers four working principles : Relativism

Answer 23

• Relativism:
  
  • Situation ethics embraces a pragmatic approach, rejecting fixed rules and absolutes.
  • It acknowledges the contingent nature of contemporary society, avoiding terms like “never” and “always.”
  • Relativism in situation ethics varies from absolute relativism to a relative approach centered on Christian love.
  • Jesus’ actions, such as picking corn on the Sabbath, exemplify a rejection of fixed rules in favor of love.

Question 24

Four working principles: Positivism

Answer 24

Positivism:
- Religious knowledge can be approached through natural positivism. Natural law is an example of this approach
- Natural positivism deduces faith from human experience or natural phenomena.
- Christian ethics combines faith in God with reason, allowing for reasoned understanding within the framework of faith.

Question 25

Four working principle
Personalism

Answer 25

Personalism:
- Situation ethics prioritises people over rules or things.
- It places human relations at the center of concern, emphasising obligation to persons rather than things.
- Personalism advocates for actions that benefit individuals, not things, and opposes the use of people for the benefit of things, such as in cases of exploitation like pornography or sweatshop labor.
“Love is of people, by people for people’’- Fletcher Situation Ethics

Question 26

Fletchers four working principle
Pragmatism

Answer 26

Pragmatism:
- Fletcher favors a pragmatic approach based on experience rather than strict philosophical systems.
- He emphasises the importance of practical solutions over abstract theories.
- Pragmatism focuses on what works rather than abstract notions of truth or fixed principles.

• William James Influence:
  
  • Fletcher draws on William James’ pragmatism, which prioritises adequacy, and action over abstract reasoning.
  • James rejects fixed principles and absolutes, advocating for solutions grounded in facts and effectiveness.
• Pragmatic Decision-making:
  
  • Fletcher cites the example of the Catholic Church’s pragmatic decision to approve artificial contraception during the Bosnian conflict in the 1990s.
  • Despite traditional opposition, the Church prioritised protecting women from rape as a pragmatic measure, setting aside ethical ideals for practical necessity.

Question 27

Conscience

Answer 27

• Conscience in situation ethics is not a set of reliable rules or principles guiding human action.
• It is not part of human beings like the mind or soul, nor is it an innate radar or inspiration.
• Conscience is described as a process, not an internalised value system or cultural influence.
• Fletcher views conscience as reason-making moral judgments, rejecting the idea of conscience as a noun and emphasising its role in the decision-making process.

Question 28

Ethical judgement and agape

Answer 28

• Ethical judgments about goodness or badness can be based on the extent to which agape (self-sacrificial, unconditional love) is best served.
• Situation ethics asserts that agape love is the primary measure of goodness or badness.
• Agape love, rooted in Christian theology, emphasises selfless love for others without expectation of return.
• Serving agape love may involve following Jesus’ teachings, which include rules and principles guiding behavior.
• Critics argue that serving love might also involve maximising utility, as in utilitarian ethics.
• Questions arise about the definition of agape love and how it relates to the greatest good for the greatest number.
• The focus on serving love in a situation raises concerns about the limits of its impact and future repercussions.
• Ethical judgments may need to consider broader implications beyond the immediate situation, including sacrificing individuals for the greater good.

Question 29

Does the rejection of absolute rules by situation ethics make moral decision-making entirely individualistic and subjective?

Answer 29

• John Macquarrie criticises situationism as fundamentally individualist and unsuitable for a social morality.
• Situation ethics focuses solely on individuals and neglects the interests of societies.
• Macquarrie argues that situationism requires an unrealistic level of moral sensitivity and perceptiveness.
• Critics point out that situation ethics ignores the fallibility of human beings and fails to consider the interests of others.
• The removal of moral laws central to situation ethics raises concerns about justice and the protection of universal human rights.
• Despite condemnation from some Christian moralists, Joseph Fletcher argues that situation ethics upholds love as an absolute, making all actions relative to love.
• Situation ethics is seen as a more compassionate response to moral dilemmas but raises doubts about its ability to address justice needs.