Situation Ethics Flashcards
(22 cards)
Who is situation ethics commonly associated with
Joseph Fletcher
What did fletcher believe he was following the logic of
Believed he was following the logic of previous writers like Aristotle in Nicomachean ethics as Aristotle does note the fact that right judgement requires that we pay particular attention to circumstance
How does fletcher argue one can possibly approach moral life
In three possible ways, legalism, antinomianism and situationism
What is legalism
The belief that there are moral fixed rules which are always to be followed
What is fletchers problem with legalism
He believes this approach to morality has been a major fault in many religions as it leads to Puritanism (making the rule with greater dignity than the person) because a truly ethical approach would have the person come first
What is Antinomianism
It’s the denial of any rules and the only things we should follow is our own choices
Situationism
Believes in the rule of love but believes that it needs to be applied situationally
What are four working principles
Pragmatism, relativism, positivism and personalism
Pragmatism
We must seek practical solutions which work to achieve success
Relativism
Whatever we do must be related to both facts about ourselves and what we are able to do and the particular facts of the situation
Positivism
The belief in a god or love or a higher food is posited then supported by logic. As we have this belief in the supremacy of love we must then reason out what supports that love in any situation were faced with
Personalism
Requires that we place people, not principles or rules, at the centre of all our moral consideration
What are the six propositions
1) Only one thing is intrinsically good, namely love and nothing else
2) The ruling norm of Christian decision is love, nothing else
3) Love and justice are the same for justice is love distributed and nothing else
4) Love wills the neighbour’s good whether we like him or not
5) Only the end justifies the means and nothing else (teleological)
6) Loves decisions are made situationally not prescriptively
What are the six propositions based around
The main theme of always considering the most loving result
Does situation ethics require Christian belief
Although in his books and theories he references Christianity it is not clear that it requires Christian belief
Objection 1 to Situation ethics (utilitarianism)
It seems to have all the problems of act utilitarianism especially in regards to proposition 5. It’s teleological so suffers problems regarding time, relevant information and skills
Objection 2 to situation ethics regarding the situation
Fletcher fails to distinctly outline what constitutes a situation, is it the immediate or does it relate to the future, and if so how far into the future
An example for objection 2
If I see a man drowning so I save his life but he then goes on to kill 5 people a year later if I had that knowledge prior to saving him would the right decision have been to let him drown
Objection 3 to situation ethics by Anthony O’Hear
Is it true that no action is intrinsically wrong for example if I were to throw babies onto bonfires sure this is intrinsically a bad action and can never be good regardless of situation
Fletcher’s comeback to objection 3 (Anthony O’Hear)
Fletcher would come back by drawing on his example of a woman in prison who commits adultery with a guard in order to get out and see her husband (layer out in his Situation Ethics). In the same way if throwing these babies onto bonfires was saving the universe from collapsing then it can be justified
Objection 4 to situation ethics
The argument can be made for what if the person who is deciding what the right thing to do in a certain situation is not mentally ‘correct’ and is unable to comprehend what many regard as love of what if they think the best way is evil. In this case is situation ethics subjective or does it not apply in this case
Objection 5 proposed by D.Z Philips and quote
He raised the question of what to do in a situation where a bad outcome is inevitable and how can we know what the right thing to do is. ‘When one finds oneself in a situation where whatever one does one is going to hurt someone’ what should one do
