Situation Ethics

Abandonment of all rules

Ideology that any religious practice or symbol that are excluded from the public sphere + limited to the private sphere e.g home

Adherence to previously established rules

A supernatural being who intervenes in the world from outside it

Noble love

Pragmatism, Relativism, Personalism, Positivism

The strict application of Torah Law/ Legalism

Jesus’ idea of how the law should be applied

The method of ethical decision making that states that you must consider noble love (agape) in decision making, and that a moral decision is correct IF it is the most loving thing to do.

A practical way of doing things

Something that you can verify through experience/observations

Something that is personal to the individual

Falsification of a statement through evidence / observation

“Morality of an action depends on the situation”

• Situation Ethics is subjective as decisions are made from what the situation is perceived to be

• Let’s you use love as a justification for doing harmful things

• Individualistic as humans see things from their own perspective. Unconditional love can be polluted by selfish human desires.

• Situation ethics does not follow any rules/laws which are critical for a society to function otherwise people will make their own unethical judgements

• Laws have been proven to be beneficial and useful

• Fletcher uses unusual and extraordinary examples which are much easier to argue with

• Said by Robinson

• The view that a man is mature and developed enough to make ethical decisions themselves without God’s help.

• Written by CS Lewis

• Storge - affection for familiar people such as family

• Philia - Friendship love that is a strong, non-romantic connection between two people

• Eros - Romantic love between two people

• Agape - An unconditional love

• Only one thing is intrinsically good; love and nothing else at all

• The ruling norm of Christian decision is love: nothing else

• Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else

• Love wills the neighbour’s good, whether we like him or not

• Only the end justifies the means, nothing else

• Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively

• A woman killing her crying baby in order to prevent a group of people from being attacked whilst trying to escape

• A prisoner of war committing adultery with a guard to become pregnant and return to her family

• Responds to the changing social and moral climate to provide a realistic Christian alternative

• Remains within Jesus’ teachings + his rejection of legalism

• Provides flexibility to respond to individual situations