Situation ethics

• Who is associated with Situation ethics?

  Joseph Fletcher
• "The morality of an action depends on the situation" - Joseph fletcher
• What is agape?

  Central imperative of situation ethics. Christian love.
• What did Fletcher believe should guide moral decision making?

  the law of love
• What are the 4 working principles?

  Pragmatism, relativism, positivism and personalism
• What are the 6 fundamental principles>

  1)Love is always good

  2)love is the norm

  3)Love and justice are the same thing

  4)Love is not liking

  5)Love justifies the means

  6)Love decides there and then
• What is a strength?

  Easily applicable as it is based on situation.
• What is a weakness?

  Consequentialist- very hard to calculate consequences because we cant be certain.
• Situation ethics


  The morality of an action depends on the situation
• Joseph Fletcher: 'The morality of an action depends on the situation'
• Situation ethics


  • Rejects absolute moral rules (deontological principles)
  • Focuses on the most loving thing to do in a particular situation
• Agape


  Reflects the unconditional love of God and the right thing to do
• Agape should be the guide for decision making
• The law of love should guide people to do the most loving thing
• Situation ethics is based on Christianity and inspired by Jesus' message of love
• "God is love"
• The Bible is the starting point of ethics in situation ethics
• The Old Testament principle talks about love as the main thing, doing the loving thing while following the 10 Commandments
• Jesus was critical of religious leaders who focused on rituals and rules rather than justice, mercy and faith
• Jesus' teachings need to be interpreted in the light of the concept of the Kingdom of God
• If you follow Jesus as God's son, then the Kingdom of God can be realized and fulfilled
• Situation ethics


  Rejects absolute moral rules and focuses on the most loving thing to do in a particular situation
• 3 ways of making moral decisions

  • Legalistic ethics
  • Antinomian ethics
  • Situation ethics
• 6 fundamental principles of situation ethics

  • Love is the only good, nothing else
  • Love is the only norm, nothing else
  • Love and justice are the same thing
  • Love is not the same as liking
  • Love justifies the means
  • Love decides there and then
• 4 working principles of situation ethics

  • Positivism
  • Pragmatism
  • Personalism
  • Relativism
• Situation ethics rejects absolute moral rules and focuses on the most loving thing to do in a particular situation
• Situation ethics is difficult to apply on a long-term basis and is more suited for immediate situations
• Situation ethics is not as helpful as Christianity's principles and the guidance of churches
• It is impossible to agree on the application of situation ethics in society, making it unhelpful and impractical
• Situation ethics uses the principle of agape (unconditional love) as a guide for decision making
• Situation ethics is a balance between legalistic and antinomian ethics, sensitive to the variety and complexity of situations
• Situation ethics does not provide a set of rules or principles to tell humans what to do, but rather a process of making decisions using logic and reason
• Situation ethics rejects Aquinas' view that conscience simply reviews our actions, and instead sees conscience as the process of making the moral decision
• Situation ethics is based on the derivation of goodness from God's love and its application in specific situations
• Situation ethics is easily applicable as it is based on the situation, but it is also a form of consequentialism that requires calculating consequences
• Situation ethics is relativistic and may not provide a clear right answer, as it is based on individual interests and what is the most loving thing to do in a particular situation
• Situation ethics is an existential ethics that focuses on the individual and their conscience rather than universal rules
• The Bible teaches to "love thy neighbor as thyself", which is the central imperative of situation ethics
• Situation ethics reflects the love of God and must be the most loving thing done in a situation
• One of the four working principles of situation ethics is personalism, which means the person is the center of concern