SITUATION ETHICS Flashcards
(34 cards)
what type of theory is it
consequentialist
fletcher religious stance
priest turned athiest
what do supporters argue it is consistent with
jesus’ own ethical code as presented in the new testament
what principle is it based around
agape love - what is the most loving thing to do
when was fletchers book situation ethics published
1966
what is agape love
christian love, unconditional, reflects love of god, love neighbours and enemies, self-sacrificing
what are the three approaches to moral life
1 - legalism
2 - antinomianism
3 - situationism
what is legalism
fixed moral rules, morality is absolute
what is antinomianism
rejection of all such rules
what religions in legalism a fault in
catholicism, protestantism, judaism
why does fletcher not like legalism
it leads to puritanism - if we are to have a truly ethical approach then the person must come first
whose ideas contain antinomianism
nietzsche and sartre
what is situationism
believes absolutely in the rule of love, morality is not fixed but depends on the situation
who was influential in shaping F’s belief in situationism
bohoeffer
who inspired fletcher generally
william temple
what role did temple have
archbishop
what did temple believe to be the one duty
thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself
what are the 4 working principles
pragmatism, relativism, positivism, personalism
what is pragmatism
what will work in practice? we must seek practical solutions which work to achieve success
what is relativism
the right thing depends on the situation, whatever we do must be related to both the facts about ourselves and what we are able to do and the particular facts of the situation
what is positivism
to commit to the ideal of love, and that god is love
what is personalism
people, not rules, are at the centre of our decision making
when should the six propositions be followed
in all our judgements
what are the six propositions
1 - Only one thing intrinsically good - love
2 - Ruling norm of christian decision is love
3 - Justice is love distributed
4 - We do not have to like our neighbour to love our neighbour
5 - Only the end justifies the means
6 - Considered in each context of each situation ‘situationally not prescriptively’
