pragmatism means moral actions must work towards or achieve some realistic goal
personalism is the idea that people come first in moral situations, not rules or ideas
positivism means first place is given to Christian love, rooted in faith
relativism means morality is relative to the situation + there are no fixed laws which must always be obeyed
Joseph Fletcher composed situation ethics in 1966
Fletcher believed a reassessment of Christian morality was necessary due to the decline in Church membership as a result of social changes:
perceived absence of God during the horrors of the World Wars
rise in science + its incompatibility with religious beliefs
weakening family + religious bonds; media impact
failures of deontological systems to provide realistic answers to new ethical problems
Fletcher's approach is teleological and relative. it is not particularly linked with any Catholic denominations/humanism, it is instead personal + contextual