Sexual Ethics Essay Flashcards

Question

point para 1 essay 3

Answer 1

Situation Ethics = Developed in a response to a cultural shift away from natural law and as a result of a big change in cultural attitudes away from a legalistic form of ethics. Focused on agape = unconditional love demonstrated by Christ. In terms of sexual ethics, depends what is the most loving thing to do. If the act is with consent then situation ethics would allow it, this would be the case for homosexuality and extra marital sex. Personalism - independatn decision on what you believe is right. If both people are happy, then it is okay. Relativism - Depends on the situation - ‘Love decisions to be made situationally not prescriptively’.

Answer 2

Too subjective , hard to get a unanimous decision. Homosexuality - parents may believe it is the most loving thing to do to try and convert them straight , however this will cause the individual involved lots of trauma. The view of natural law is better - absolutist - homosexuality goes against primary precepts - Reproduction.

Answer 3

Natural Law can lead to discrimination, condemnation and judgement so not good and doesn’t lead to a flourishing society. love is subjective, but agape is not. Agape is much more specific than love, it means selfless love of your neighbour. Pressuring others into sex or disowning them for sexual behaviour is not selfless love of your neighbour

Answer 4

Would allow extra-marital and pre-marital as long as both people are consenting and happy, as both of them do the action with love and therefore agape. Example of woman in concentration camp - only way to leave was to fall pregnant, committed adultery with prison guard, and was reunited with family. This was the most loving thing to do in this situation as it regarded her safety and her being reunited with her family who needed her.

Answer 5

Barclay - Humas are not perfectly loving and do dangerous things. If given the power to decide whether things are right or not, they may be selfish with what they choose, we only want best for ourselves or what makes us look the best. People’s loving nature can be corrupted by power and selfishness. Also SE ignores important commands in the Bible , Ten commandments ‘Do not commit adultery’. It is clearly against extra/pre marital sex.

Answer 6

Fletcher & Robinson argue that mankind has ‘come of age’, meaning become more civilised and educated. - People are in general more loving. Fletcher doesn’t think the Bible is the perfect word of God that we can follow literally. The most we can get from it is general themes and Fletcher thinks that Agape is an important theme in the Bible

Answer 7

How useful is Kantian ethics in dealing with issues in sexual ethics?

Answer 8

Immanuel Kant - moral duty of each individual. Three postualtes.

Answer 9

It is useful

Answer 10

Homosexuality No universible, so immoral. We are not all gay, and we all have different sexual feelings towards each other. So it wouldn’t work if we were all gay as there would be no natural reproduction. Problem for the continuation of the human race.

Answer 11

Consent is also a central idea to Kantian Ethics - so if sex is consentual - no matter of what sexes it is between - surely it is moral ? Situation ethics has a better approach to this than Kantian

Answer 12

Situation Ethics = subjective.

Answer 13

Pre/Extra Marital Sex. Cannot be universalised - every single husband cheating on their wife would cause chaos within society = so not moral. Duty is very important to Kant, so you have a duty to be faithful to your wife/husband, as you stated in your wedding vows, so sex outside of marriage is wrong. Also pre-marital sex may be seen as promiscuous- so you could be using a person as a means to an end (the end being pleasure not for a genuine relationship), so is immoral. - Also links to masturbation. The second formulation of the categorical imperative is important regarding sex for Kant. He thinks that sex which is not within a marriage for the purpose of procreation pretty much involves each person using the other as a mere means to their own gratification. This is a kind of objectification – treating someone as an object, which involves treating them as a mere means

Answer 14

Kant thinks that marriage is a contractual agreement involving the granting of “lifelong possession of each other’s sexual attributes,”. The idea seems to be that if each person agrees to being used by the other, then both are respecting each other’s end and thus only treating them as a means, not a mere means.

Answer 15

Not all sex outside of a marriage is to do with using people, a couple may just not want to get married but love each other very deeply, Kant never married so may not understand this ? Kant even suggests children born outside marriage could be killed or left to die: *“A child that comes into the world apart from marriage is born outside the law (for the law is marriage) and therefore outside the protection of the law. It has, as it were, stolen into the commonwealth (like contraband merchandise), so that the commonwealth can ignore its existence (since it rightly should not have come to exist in this way), and can therefore also ignore its annihilation”*

Answer 16

How useful is utilitarianism in dealing with issues in sexual ethics?

Answer 17

Utilitarianism = developed by Jeremy Bentham . Doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people

Answer 18

jeremy bentham

Answer 19

Ethical theory which tells us that the best course of action is the one that will gain the highest level of happiness for the greatest number of people. Act Utilitarianism =Jeremy Bentham - Relativist to individuals acts - Infamous example of it being able to justify horrific things such as Gang rape. If a sexual act, whether it is homosexual or pre/extra marital sex, maximised pleasure compared to the other option of not doing or allowing them, then it would be good to do/allow them.

Answer 20

Different types of utilitarianism with differing views about sexual ethics could make it very confusing to use. Rule Utilitarianism - John Stuart Mill - Harm Principle - As long as the action causes greates good for greatest good without harming anyone, then it can be ethical. Singers - Preference Utilitarianism = No problem with homosexuality. As long as it promotes the interests of those involved.

Answer 21

In general , Utilitarianism works on the majority. So if the majority oppose homosexuality , then it is seen as immoral. However, if they don’t have an issue, and it creates happiness then it is seen as moral.

Answer 22

If both people are happening with the situation and are both consenting, then it is moral because greatest number of people are happy.

Answer 23

Negatives of Utilitarianism = Not everything should be based on happiness - society today believes strongly in principles of justice, righst and protection of minorities which are not reflected in utilitarianism - minority does not get there way and could cause conflict.other values are more important such as justice or developing virtues- so there shoudl at least be a mix

Answer 24

easy to use and provides a clear, practical measure and tool for thinking about happiness

Sexual Ethics Essay Flashcards

(51 cards)