Situation Ethics - Content Flashcards
(7 cards)
What is agape?
Agape is selfless love for thy neighbour as an attitude, not a feeling. It is the central moral principle of Situation Ethics.
Why does Fletcher reject antinomianism and legalism?
Rejects antinomianism since the lack of moral rules perpetuates moral chaos.
Rejects legalism since it fails to account for the nuance of moral situations.
Situationism is the remedy for both problems.
State the four working principles and what they mean.
Positivism - begins with belief in the reality and importance of love.
Relativism - it is based on making the absolute laws of Christian ethics relative.
Pragmatism - it is based on experience rather than theory.
Personalism - persons, not laws or anything else, are at the centre of situation ethics.
What are the four working principles use for?
The four working principles enable us to apply agape in situations.
State the six fundamental principles.
Love:
1) Is the same as justice; justice is love distributed
2) Is the ruling Christian norm and replaces all laws
3) Decides then and there without needing a set of laws to guide it
4) Is the end of the act and justifies any means to achieve that end
5) Is the only intrinsic good
6) Wills the good of the neighbour regardless of if the neighbour is liked or not
What is the purpose of the six fundamental principles?
They are essential beliefs for agape.
What is conscience according to Fletcher?
Conscience is a verb, not a noun. It is a term that describes attempts to make decisions creatively.
