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Class Notes - Situation Ethics
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This document highlights the key aspects of Situation Ethics. It details both the information of the theory and the evaluation points, in a clear, concise and aesthetic way.
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SituationEthics
,CatholicHerald Monday 16 November 2020
Situation Ethics emerged in the early 1960s. The main 3 thinkers were Paul Tillich, John Robinson and
Joseph Fletcher. SE is aimed at achieving maximum agape based on the teachings of Jesus. Agape is
known as self-sacrificing, neighbour-regarding, unconditional love. Fletcher refers to SE as the 'middle way',
as it rejects both legalistic and antinomian ethics. It is sometimes called 'contextualism' as it maintains the
collective wisdom of the past can be used to guide
our decisions now. Fletcher says rules can be set aside
love requires something else, as the second greatest commandment for Jesus is to "love your neighbour
if
as yourself" meaning you should treat
love. This can be seen in Mark when
people how you would want to be treated, which is obviously with Your Number One
Jesus allows the Sabbath to
be broken, as his friends were hungry and
needed food. This demonstrated agape, as showed that people were more important than rules. Fletcher source for
argues that this shows SE is a Christian way of doing ethics as if Jesus chose people over rules, and Jesus
religious
is at the heart of Christianity, then following his way must news
be Christian.
There are three types of ethical systems. by Jay Sumner Situation ethics is all about the
They are legalistic, antinomian and
situationist. circumstances. conscience and
Legalistic ethics are all about laws and rules, agape. To Fletcher, the term
and actions are seen either right or situation is concrete set of
wrong,no matter what. Examples of this
would be Natural Moral Law r Divine
circumstances, and refers ti the
Command Theory. According to Fletcher, it unique and concrete moment in
is rigid and impersonal. which a decision is required. This
Antinomian ethics is the complete reverse of is important as the situation needs
legalistic ethics, as it is a rejection of all
rules. Someone who uses this form of
to be considered for each moral
thinking doesn't have an ethical system at decision in order to make a
all, and they enter eachmoral decision as if meaningful ethical decision.
it were unique. Making a moral decision is a Fletcher says absolute moral
matter of spontaneity, based on being called
principles don't work in the real
by the Holy Spirit, meaning doesn't
world, as the right decision for
provide much guidance on what is right. In
Fletcher's eyes, it is too anarchic and one isn't the right decision for all.
nihilistic.
The 4 presumptions/working In situation ethics, a decision
The third approach is Fletcher's and, in his
words, is the "middle way". It is called
principles are pragmatism, should be made using the
situation ethics and IS more concerned with
relativism, personalism and conscience which should be lined
love and people rather than rules for rules' positivism. Fletcher says an up with the idea of love. This is
sake (orno rules at all). It enters into the ethical theory must be because the deciding factor for
moral dilemma with the ethics, rules and
pragmatic as it must be any moral decision is love, and a
principles of the community and tradition,
but are prepared to set them aside when the practical and work in each person should always use their
situation dictates. incorporates the situation to create love, this conscience to help them.
structure of legalistic ethics and the means it must have some form However, Fletcher rejects that the
flexibility of antinomian ethics, without
of success criteria and for conscience is not intuition, but
taking it to the extreme on either sides.
Here is an example on how each ethic
Fletcher this love. Furthermore, rather a channel for divine
system would work with a situation such as Fletcher believes all moral guidance. It is the internalised
a single parent stealing food for her starving theories are relative as no two values of an individual's culture
children: and the part
situations or people are the of reason that makes
Legalistic ethics would be against this
situation and Natural Moral Law is a great same. Although, this isn't a value judgments. Instead, for
system to help us understand why. In NML free for all, and all decisions Fletcher this thing is a process of
you have primary and secondary precepts, are relative in accordance with hypothetical reasoning. This
and the second primary precept is 'ordered process work on the basis of "if...
love. Personalism is the idea
society', so therefore you cannot have an
that situation ethics puts the then", for example, "if I carry out
ordered society if people steal and lie.
Antinomian ethics is impossible to know, as people first, not the law. Lastly, action A, then X much love will
all decisions are made spontaneously with result" whereas "if I carry out
positivism is about people
guidance from the Holy Spirit.
freely choosing to be Christian, action B, then y much love will
Lastly, situation ethics would say the single
and though its not logical proof result". This therefore shows
parent can steal the food. This Is because it
is the most loving thing to do, as to not steal for the existence of God, it is a conscience is a verb not a noun,
the food would mean the children would way for people who do follow meaning it is something you do
continue to starve.
Jesus to act. not something you possess.
Inside today
, S un
CS
J § D € I
An American
professor in the
field of bioethics
•
-
Starts his
theory of situation Ethics ( sE) quoting two people :
'
-
Bishop John Robinson : There is no one ethical
system that
claim to be Christian
'
can
Rudolf Bultmann : Jesus
'
has no ethics apart from love
-
thy neighbour
a ☒A
Old Testament Ethics the law of Moses centred on the 10
•
-
,
commandments (
Decalogue)
-
New Testament ethics -
primarily
-
The ethics of Jesus ,
e.
g.
In Matthew 5 -7 ( the sermon on
the Mount)
-
The ethics of Paul :
Both demand very high standards
'
( sometimes called Kingdom ethics since
they hopefully
'
get you into God 's
kingdom) .
Roman Catholic tradition based natural moral
'
on
Aquinas
•
law ethics
-
The Protestant tradition uses the moral laws in the Bible
( following Luther -
soha scriptural
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