Situational ethics

Question 1

What did Fletcher believe Agape was?

a mid point between

Answer 1

A mid-point between two unhelpful extremes: antinomianism (rejection of all moral laws) and Legalism (an over-reliance on applying enldless rigid rules)

Question 2

What are the four working principles?

Answer 2

1) Pragmatism: the decisions we make must be something that works and produces good outcomes
2) Relativism: The right thing to do is dependent on the context. In ethics we should avoid terms such as ‘always’ and ‘never’.
3) Positivism: Laws are things human beings create; we have to be active in bringing about love by the decisions we make
4) Personalism: Perosn-centered, rather than obedience to rules

Question 3

When was SE created?

Answer 3

Situation ethics was created by Joseph Fletcher in the 1960s. It is a product of its time, and deliberately so. The 60s were defined by radical social movements aimed at overthrowing traditional ways of life which were seen as oppressive.

Question 4

What are the first three of the six propositions?

Answer 4

1) ‘Only one thing is intrinsically good, namely love: nothing else at all’
2) ‘The ruling norm of Christian decision is love, nothing else’
3) ‘Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else’

Question 5

What are the last three of the six propositions?

Answer 5

4) ‘Love wills the neighbour good, whether we like him or not’
5) ‘Only the end justifies the means, nothing else’
6) ‘Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively’

Question 6

When applying SE and agape what else does Fletcher place importance on?

Answer 6

Time and situation. He uses the word Kairos, one of two greek words for time, to refer to a significant time or season. In ethics Kairos is the ‘moment of decision’. When appling love we should consider the sophia and the kairos, and ask how love can be applied in that situation.

Question 7

What is a problem with the assumptions SE makes?

Answer 7

While Situation Ethics presents a compassionate and flexible approach to moral decision-making, it assumes an ideal level of moral clarity, emotional maturity, and selflessness that rarely exists in practice. Fletcher believed people could consistently apply agape (selfless love) as the only moral law — but this demands a level of moral insight and detachment from personal interest that most people don’t possess, either in secular or theistic societies.

Question 8

SE for theistic societies problems

Answer 8

• Whilst it may have face validity by postulating simmilar rules that align with the golden rule, Situation Ethics rejects biblical commandments and replaces divine law with personal judgment.
• This undermines the authority of Scripture and the Church.
• Most religious communities prefer structured moral frameworks (e.g. Natural Law, Divine Command) because they provide clarity and accountability — not just “what feels loving.”
• The idea that love alone is enough to guide all action contradicts traditional Christian moral discipline.

Question 9

SE problems within christianity (part two)

Answer 9

This is especially problematic within Christianity, where moral laws are not arbitrary but are believed to be divinely ordained, reflecting the unchanging nature of God’s goodness and justice. According to traditional Christian theology (such as in Aquinas’ Natural Law theory), God’s commandments are binding and universally valid, not optional guidelines to be overridden by subjective feelings. Fletcher’s position implies that humans are capable of determining what is morally right or wrong on their own — a view that closely mirrors Pelagianism, an early Christian heresy which was condemned for denying the need for divine guidance and grace.

Question 10

What is one of the case studies Fletcher uses?

Answer 10

Mrs Bergmeier who became pregnant by a prison gaurd at a detention center.

Question 11

Fletchers understanding of the conscience

Key process in decision making

Answer 11

• Conscience is often seen as a thing - a noun. This may be the voice of God within us according to Newman, or an inbuilt reasoning tol in the thinking of Aquinas.
• yet conscience is not a thing we possess, it is rather an activity that we do. It is a function not a faculty. Conscience is a verb not a noun and it refers to the process of deciding.
• It is better understood as something that looks forward in terms of prospective decision making rather than something that retrospectively passes judgement onto our actions after the event.