Situation ethics

What is situation ethics?

A moral framework that judges actions based on the specific circumstances of each situation, rather than adhering to fixed rules or principles

Who created situation ethics?

Joseph Fletcher

When and why was situation ethics created?

The New Morality (1966)


To avoid rigidity of absolutism and anarchy of relativism (antinomianism)

What type of ethical theory is situation ethics?

Teleological

What is agape?

Unconditional love

What are agapeic principles?

• ‘The situationist follows a moral law or violates it according to love’s need’

• Jesus taught to love in the New Testament

What are Fletcher’s 6 propositions?

• Only love is intrinsically good

• Ruling norm of Christian decision is love

• Love and justice are the same, justice is love distributed

• Love wills the neighbour’s good whether we like him or not

• Only the end justifies the means

• Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively

What are Fletcher’s 4 working principles?

• Pragmatism - practicality

• Relativism - context

• Positivism - choice of love

• Personalism - people before laws

What are Fletcher’s case studies?

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Mrs Bergermeier

• Patriotic prostitution

What are the strengths of situation ethics?

• Flexible and human centred

• Responsive to complexity

• Focus on love

What are criticisms of situation ethics?

• Subjective - what is most loving?

• Moral chaos - no binding rules (William Barclay)

• Theology-intensive - alienates secular perspectives

• Not only focus of Christianity (reductionist) - Richard Mouw

• Christians follow other commandments - Pius XII

• Leads to antinomianism

What does ‘assess’ mean for OCR?

Weigh pros and cons

What does ‘evaluate’ mean for OCR?

Be critical