Evaluation

• Strengths:

  • like jesus
  • Agape
  • Personalist
  • Autonomy
  • Science and technologies
  • People focused
  • Social justics
• Like Jesus:

  Situation ethics is grounded in the life and practices of Jesus

  E.g. woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11)
• Agape:

  Situation ethics promotes the idea that reading the Bible provides wisdom, prophecy and love more than rules
• IMPORTANT NOTE:

  not everyone interprets the Bible the same, some may not see love as the priority
• Personalist:

  Situation ethics is a flexible relativist system
• Science and technologies:

  Situation ethics adapts to medical advancements and develops understanding of human sexuality
• People Focused:

  Situation ethics does not focus on rules but people
• Social justice:

  Situation ethics promotes people to change things for the better and get rid of discrimination
• WEAKNESSES:

  • individual responsibility
  • Tradition
  • Case studies
  • motivation
• Individual responsibility:

  A person following situation ethics has more responsibility over their actions than a person who followed the teachings of the church. Situation ethics is also very selfless and can be seen to ask a lot from a person
• Tradition:

  can you reject 2000 year old teachings?

  John Robinson- rejects situationism as it "runs too great a risk of descending into moral chaos"

  William Barclay- argued religious law is the distillation of beneficial experiences. Individuals need instituational authority
• Motivation:

  Obsessive love can stifle development.

  e.g. obsessive parenting can lead to children not developing properly