Situation Ethics Flashcards Preview

AS Level Ethics > Situation Ethics > Flashcards

Flashcards in Situation Ethics Deck (28)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

what is pragnatism

A

a moral solution is only good if it is practical

2
Q

What are the four presumptions

A

Pragmatism RelativismPositivism Personalism

3
Q

what is relativism

A

there is no absolute principle. every decision depends on the situation or context

4
Q

what is positivism

A

statements of faith precede reason

5
Q

what is personalism

A

ethical theory and morality deals with people first over principles.

6
Q

what are the six fundamental principles (presuppositions)

A
  1. love only is always good2. love is the only norm3. love and justice are the same4. love is not liking 5. love justifies its means6. love decides there and then
7
Q

what does ‘love is always good’ mean?

A

love is intrinsically good, all acts should be done for love- ‘agape’

8
Q

what does love is the only norm’ mean?

A

love replaces law. Laws are mere reflections of love in action, there are simply a guide.

9
Q

what does ‘love and justice are the same’ mean?

A

justice is love distributed, they are one in the same thing.

10
Q

what does ‘love is not liking’ mean?

A

‘agape’ means doing good even if you don’t like it. loving and liking aren’t the same thing.

11
Q

what does ‘love justifies the means’ mean?

A

it is the end result and not the act that counts.

12
Q

what does ‘love decides there and then’ mean?

A

loves decisions are made situationally not prescriptively freedom away from laws is required.

13
Q

what is situation ethics?

A

Joseph Fletcher said that each situation should be considered on its merits and should be made on ‘agape’ love. it is a half way point between legalism and antinomianism.

14
Q

quote from J. Fletcher On conscience

A

there is no conscience, conscience is merely a word for our attempts to make a decision creativly, constructively and fittingly.

15
Q

what are Fletcher’s ‘four cases’

A
  1. christian cloak and dagger2. sacrificial adultery 3. ‘himself might his quietus make’4. special bombing mission No.13
16
Q

what is christian cloak and dagger

A

US defence agency wants an attractive female to seduce a married man so he can be vblackmailed.

17
Q

what is ‘sacrificial adultery’

A

end of WW2 a women is arrested for foraging for food and sent to a prison camp. she can get out by falling ill or getting pregnant. she gets pregnant by a guard and is reunited with her family and the child is oved.

18
Q

what is ‘himself might his quietus make’

A

jim is a construction engineer married with 5 kids. he finds out he has cancer, he could survive for 3 years on pills costing $40 every 3 days causing debt or 3 months without. however the insurance company finds out he has cancer it would not pay out and if he kills himself they will get $100,000 plus more from employer.

19
Q

what is ‘special bombing mission No.13’

A

august 6th 1945 enola gay dropped atomic bomb on hiroshima. 3 days later on nagisaki. 152,000 kiled plus more L-T.

20
Q

what are the positives of situation ethics

A

fits into way J actedpersonal freedomlove is human conditionperson centeredlove and justiceattitudinal and emotionalcan we go wrong with love as a guide?

21
Q

what are the negatives of situation ethics

A
  1. too much freedom?2. it would be ‘ideal in a world of saints’ -we do not3. what is the most loving way?4. laws protect society5. NT has certain rules- theft isn’t accurate representation of NT morality6. Utopic 7. allow anything?
22
Q

what are the three types of genetic engeneering

A

> somatic cells> germ line gene therapy> enhancement therapy

23
Q

what is somatic cell engineering

A

genetic changes to particular genes. not passed on

24
Q

what is germ line gene therapy

A

changing genetic material in germ line genes (reproductive cells) to eradicate diseases>mistake carried on, sickle cell anaemia stops malaria- we do not know enough.not 100% success yet. why do genetic diseases exist?> would prevent a child suffering , eradicate serious diseases

25
Q

what is enhancement therapy

A

changing certain characteristics+, removal of genetic diseases eg mitochondrial-, designer babies, not sure how changing genes will change person, which genes do we change? two tiered society

26
Q

What is Legalism

A

Sets rules and laws to follow> Catholics follow Natural Law> Protestants follow the Bible

27
Q

What is Agape Love?

A

> Altristic- no reward> Non- reciprocal> non- preferential

28
Q

What is Anti- Nomian

A

no rules or laws- ‘against law’> Luther in C16- Libertarianism and the Gnostic Claim> Libertarianism- grace and new life of Christ means it doesn’t matter what we do > Gnostic Claim- Special knowledge from God means we know what to do, do not need rules to tell us