Situation Ethics Aim to know theory of situation

Situation Ethics Aim: to know theory of situation ethics and to know the key terms related to this topic.

“The morality of an action depends on the situation”. Joseph Fletcher (1963)

Key Questions • What does it mean for an action to be loving? • How might love be defined?

Key Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Is moral behaviour about following rules or working things out for ourselves? Are there unbreakable laws to govern moral behaviour, or should we make our own moral decisions? Is abortion for health reasons just as bad as abortion for convenience? Are there ever any situations when you should ignore established moral rules? When deciding what is right, should the situation be taken into account?

Joseph Fletcher (1905 -1991) n n n He was an American professor who founded theory of Situation ethics in the 1960 s. He was a pioneer in bioethics and was involved in the areas of abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and cloning. He was a priest who later renounced his belief in God and became an atheist.

Task A rich man asked a lovely young woman if she would sleep the night with him. She said ‘No’. He then asked if she would do it for £ 100 000. She said ‘Yes!’ 1. Is it wrong to have sex for money: a) To survive? b) For luxury purchases? c) To fund a life-saving operation for a friend or relative? In each case, explain your answer. n 2. Why might your answers for a, b and c differ?

Key Terms n n n n Agapé love Antinomian ethics Conscience Four working principles Individualistic Intrinsically good justice n n n n Law of love Legalistic ethics Personalism Positivism Pragmatism Prescriptive Proportionalism Relativism

The Theory of Situation Ethics n 1. 2. 3. Fletcher maintains that there are essentially three different ways of making moral decisions. Legalistic ethics Antinomian ethics Situation ethics

Legalistic Ethics n n Has a set of moral rules and regulations. Judaism and Christianity both have legalistic ethical traditions. Fletcher said this runs into problems – life’s complexities require additional laws. Murder, killing in self defence, killing in war, killing unborn human beings etc. Becomes complex and like a textbook morality that leaves people simply to check the manual to decide what is right and wrong.

Antinomian Ethics n n n The reverse of legalistic ethics. It literally means ‘against law’. A person using antinomianism doesn’t really use an ethical system at all. He or she enters decision-making as if each occasion was totally unique. Making a moral decision is a matter of spontaneity. ‘They are, exactly anarchic – i. e. without a rule’. Fletcher is also critical of this approach.

Situation Ethics n One single rule – the rule of agape. This love is not merely an emotion but involves doing what is best for the other person, unconditionally.

Situation Ethics n n The situationist enters into the moral dilemma with the principles and rules of his or her community. However, they are prepared to set these rules aside in the situation if LOVE seems better served by doing so.

Situation Ethics n n ‘The situationist follows a moral law or violates it according to love’s need’. Fletcher For the situationist, all moral decisions are hypothetical. They depend on what best serves love. They don’t say that ‘giving to charity is a good thing’. They only say that giving to charity is a good thing if …’ Lying is justified if love is better served by it.

An insane murderer who asks you the whereabouts of his next victim… n n Should be lied to! A situationist would be able to do this. In that situation, a legalist must tell the truth.

Task n A teenage girl has become pregnant as a result of being raped by a close family member. She’s very poor and very young. How would legalists, antinomians and situationists go about considering what the moral thing to do is?

Situation Ethics n n 1. 2. Situation ethics is sensitive to variety and complexity. It uses principles to illuminate the situation, but not to direct the action. Fletcher divides his principles into two categories: The four working principles and The six fundamental principles

The Four Working Principles and the Six Fundamental Principles n n Read the handout about the four working principles and the six fundamental principles. Put them into your own words.

Evaluating Situation Ethics n Strengths n Weaknesses