situation ethics Flashcards
(7 cards)
what is situation ethics
a religious theory that lies between legalism and antonianism. it isnt too rule based, it implies the only rule we should follow is to do the most loving thing.
what are the four working principles
pragmatism- the decisions we make should produce good outcomes
relativism- the right thing to do is based on context
positivism- we have to be active about bringing about love by decisions we make
personalism- jesus placed people above rules so we place the good of people at the centre rather than rules
what are 4 working principles
only the end justifies the means- if our main aim is love, then any means of achieving it is justified.
love wills the neighbour good whether we like him or not- its a selfless decision to treat someone well
love decisions are made situationally not prescriptively. love decides there and then, love doesnt tell us what to do in a specific situation we have to gather facts rather than decide the case before we know the facts.
only one thing is instrinsically good, namely love- some things are extrinsincally good as they help us achieve a higher purpose e.g. running if we are late for the bus but isnt good for if we are indoors in a slippery floor. only love is truly good itself.
is situation ethics a good way of making moral decisions
there are no moral boundaries, everything can be permitted if the situation is extreme enough. this doesnt seem right
situation ethics requires us to make predictions about the outcome our actions produce but we dontknow if what we have done will produce the most loving outcome
it still relies on christianity, it isnt helpful for those who arent christians and they will essentially feel left out
what are the case studies for situation ethics
mrs bergmier
young girl with schizophrenia was raped in a hospital. they wanted the baby to be aborted but because abortion is illegal in america they refused. fletcher argues this is the wrong thing to do as abortion is the most loving thing.
is situation ethics really a religious ethic
christianity emerged from judaism, the rabbi hillel famously said that which is hateful to you dont do to your neighbour, hence the idea was established that loving God and loving your neighbour were the 2 most important commandments
jesus offers a radical version of this, he breaks sabbath laws to heal people thus bringing out a more loving outcome. the good samaritan reinforces the idea of love for ones neighbour regardless of whether we like them or not. fletcher uses this to argue jesus’ ethics were based on agape.
philosophers such as aquinas and augustine think love is a main principle, the double effect also provides flexibility in christian thinking. archbishop william temple states love is the main duty christians have.there are ideas in love the ethics of bonhoeffer that turned him against hitler. thus the idea of love isnt new to christian ethics
is situation ethics too individualistic or subjective
there is a role of the indivudal as fletcher focuses on agape which is the idea of the most loving thing WE can do to produce the best outcome.
fletcher argues conscience is an activity that we do. its a verb that refers to the process of decision making best understood as something that looks foward in terms of prospective decision making rather than something that retrospectively passes judgement on our actions after an event.
