Fletcher's Situation Ethics

What are the two principles Fletcher rejects?

Legalism and antinomianism

What is legalism?

Ethical choices have to follow absolute and set rules/ principles

What is antinomianism?

Ethical choices follow no set rules and an indiv. has compete freedom

What are Fletcher’s beliefs about the Church?

Sees it as legalist as it follow strict moral principles which don’t always work. This hurts people and so is unchristian.

What is SE if not legalist or antinomian?

It is a middle way between the two principles.

What principle was Fletcher’s SE accused of being?

Accused of being antinomian by the Roman Catholic Church.

Why was Fletcher’s SE actually not antinomian?

Antinomianism follows no strategy or rules.

SE is guided by agape which means it follows a kind of principle. This is known as principle relativism bc agape is applied relatively to situation.

Why did SE become popular?

In the 1960s a new approach was taken to Christianity with new morals

Why did Fletcher believe SE was grounded in Christianity?

agape is applied often in the Bible.

Examples: the Parable of the Good Samaritan shows selfless love of a Samaritan toward a Levite

1 Corinthians shows that the greatest virtue is love, even over faith and hope

What does Fletcher believe about conscience?

Conscience is NOT guided be intuition or the Holy Spirt etc

It IS the process of a response to an ethical problem

What is situation ethics?

The right ethical decision is the one that brings the most love and agape (selfless love).

What are the three ways SE can be described?

Moral relativism, consequentialism and teleological.

Why is SE a relativistic theory?

Ethical issues are solved relative to the situation and no universal and absolute moral principles need to be used.

Only principle followed is agape but even this doesn’t dictate specific actions.

Why is SE consequentialist?

Ethical decisions made based on consequences of actions in certain situations.

Situation is considered using agape.

Why is SE teleological?

SE is concerned with the end purpose (telos) of Christian love and agape

What is the boss principle in SE?

Agape. (unconditional love shown by Jesus and his actions like crucifixion)

Is seen as the ultimate virtue by Augustine and Aquinas

What are the four working principles?

Pragmatism, relativism, positivism and personalism.

What is pragmatism?

The solution to an ethical issue must be practical and cannot work in theory.

Must work in practice.

What is relativism?

Rules don’t always apply, they are relative to the the situation

What is positivism?

You must want to do good and make a positive decision based on goodness

What is personalism?

Ethics concerns people, not things.

We are meant to love others, not principles or laws.

What are the six fundamental principles?

love = the only good

love = the ruling norm of Christianity

love = justice

love for all

loving ends justifies the means

love decides situationally

What is love as the only good?

love is intrinsically good

love is an action and not a thing as we show love.

Only with God can love be a thing because God is love

What is love as the ruling norm?

Love is more important than religious laws.

Laws serve the person, not control them. Jesus shows this when he said the “Sabbath was made for man, and not man made for the Sabbath"“

What is love as justice?

Love and justice are the same.

When justice is carried out, so is love.

What is the principle of love for all?

Everyone must be loved equally as Jesus taught to “love your enemies”

Love should be kenotic (self-emptying) and so love shouldn’t discriminate i.e. only loving some people and not others

What is the principle of loving ends justifying the means?

Only the outcome of your actions justifies it i.e. it must have a good outcome that doesn’t cause harm

What is the principle of love decides situationally?

All ethical decisions are based on agape and what the most loving thing to do is depending on the situation.

How can SE be applied to homosexuality?

Homosexuality is acceptable as long as it is the most loving action.

What were the issues with the Anglican Church teaching about being gay?

Were outdates and inconsistent

E.g. adultery and even lesbian relationships weren’t criminal offenses but homosexuality still was

Why did Fletcher believe the attitude of the church was wrong?

It discriminated against people based on sexuality which was illegal and UNCHRISTIAN

What did Fletcher decide about private gay actions?

Shouldn’t be subjected to laws or religious opinion.

Only moral issues with it were possible prejudice and discrimination felt by others.

What did Fletcher believe about public gay actions?

Should be determined by law as these actions can limit the personal freedom of others.

What are the three laws Fletcher decided sexuality needed to be restricted by?

1. age of consent

2. infringement of public decency

3. acts involving assault/ violence etc

What is an example of a famous marginalised gay person?

Alan Turing who was a famous mathematician who helped break German codes in WW2

Was arrested for being gay and had to undergo conversion therapy

What was Fletcher’s opinions on polyamorous relationships?

Believed as long as the relationship followed the principle of agape and considered the 4 working and 6 fundamental principles it was acceptable

Needed to make sure that

1. private and public actions don’t offend someone else’s legal right to personal freedom

2. doesn’t offend

Why did Fletcher disagree with absolutist ideas about?

Believed a relationship being right/ wrong was relative to the situation and that all relationships should have the same treatment

e.g. polyamorous couples treated the same as monogamous couples