1. Normative Ethical Theories (Religious Approaches): Situation Ethics

A normative ethical theory taking a religious approach to moral decision-making.

1.1 Content

• Fletcher’s situation ethics, including:
– agape
– the six propositions
– the four working principles
– conscience

1.2 Knowledge

• origins of agape in the New Testament and its religious development in the writing of Fletcher
• what the six propositions are and how they give rise to the theory of situation ethics and its approach to moral decision-making:
1) Love is the only thing that is intrinsically good
2) Love is the ruling norm in ethical decision-making and replaces all laws
3) Love and justice are the same thing – justice is love that is distributed
4) Love wills the neighbour’s good regardless of whether the neighbour is liked or not
5) Love is the goal or end of the act and that justifies any means to achieve that goal
6) Love decides on each situation as it arises without a set of laws to guide it

• what the four working principles are and how they are intended to be applied:
1) pragmatism: it is based on experience rather than on theory
2) relativism: it is based on making the absolute laws of Chris an ethics relative
3) positivism: it begins with belief in the reality and importance of love
4) personalism: persons, not laws or anything else, are at the centre of situation ethics

• what conscience is and what it is not according to Fletcher, i.e. a verb not a noun; a term that describes attempts to make decisions creatively

1.3 Issues as the basis of exam questions

• whether or not situation ethics provides a helpful method of moral decision-making
• whether or not an ethical judgement about something being good, bad, right or
wrong can be based on the extent to which, in any given situation, agape is best
served
• whether Fletcher’s understanding of agape is really religious or whether it means
nothing more than wan ng the best for the person involved in a given situation
• whether or not the rejection of absolute rules by situation ethics makes moral
decision-making en rely individualistic and subjective

1.4 Suggested scholarly views, academic approaches and sources of wisdom and authority

For reference, the ideas of Fletcher listed above can be found in:
• Situation Ethics The New Morality

Learners will be given credit for referring to any appropriate scholarly views, academic approaches and sources of wisdom and authority, however the following examples may prove useful:
• Lewis, C.S. (1960 rev.2016) The Four Loves, William Collins, Chapter 6
• Messer, N. (2006) SCM Study guide: Chris an Ethics, London: SCM, Chapter 1