THE NEW
MORALITY
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The general principles of Situation Ethics
the middle way between legalism and antinomianism
the idea of situation
conscience – what it is and what it is not
the emphasis on making moral decisions rather than following
rules
Fletcher’s six fundamental principles and the understanding of
Christian love
Fletcher’s four presumptions: pragmatism, contextual relativism,
positivism, personalism
The application of Situation Ethics to one ethical issue of the
candidate’s choice apart from abortion and euthanasia
Issues arising
 Strengths and weaknesses of Situation Ethics as an ethical system
 Does Christian love allow people to do anything, depending on the
context, and how far is it true that love should be the highest
Christian law, overruling all others when necessary?
 How practical is Situation Ethics?
 How compatible is Situation Ethics with other Christian approaches
to moral decision-making?
 To
understand the general principles of
situation ethics and understand the concept
of agape
KEY WORDS
AGAPE
SELF SACRIFICE
NEIGHBOUR
 There
is only one ultimate and invariable
duty, and its formula is ‘Thou shalt love they
neighbour as thyself.’ How to do this is
another question, but this is the whole of
moral duty.
 What
does this quote tell us about situation
ethics?
 An
American professor in the field of
bioethics.
 He
starts his theory of situation ethics
quoting two people.
 Bishop
Robinson – there is no one ethical
system that can claim to be Christian’
 Rudolf
Bultmann – Jesus has no ethics apart
from ‘love thy neighbour’

Old testament ethics – the law of Moses, centred
on the 10 commandments


Examples?
New testament ethics: Primarily

The ethics of Jesus, e.g. In Matthew 5-7, and

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 on Aquinas’
natural law ethics.

The protestant tradition uses the moral laws in
the Bible.

Fletcher offers different ethical principles that he
maintains are true to Christian beliefs.

Let an anecdote set the tone.

A friend arrived in St. Louis just as a presidential
campaign was ending, and the cab driver
volunteered his testimony. “I and my father and
grandfather before me and their fathers, have
always been republicans. ‘I take it you will vote
republican?’ ‘No, said the driver, ‘there are times
when a man has to push his principles aside and
do the right thing.”

For Fletcher the Cabbie is the hero of situation
ethics.
 Fletcher
believed that there are no absolute
laws other than the law of Agapē love
 All
the other laws were laid down in order to
achieve the greatest amount of this love.

This means that all the other laws are only
guidelines to how to achieve this love,
 and
thus they may be broken if the other
course of action would result in more love.

Agapē is a term which comes from Greek which
means absolute, universal, unchanging and
unconditional love for all people.

Fletcher believed that in forming an ethical system
based on love, he was best expressing the notion of
“love thy neighbour”

Early Christians used agape in the sense of God’s selfsacrificial love.

to which the appropriate response is that agape
must, in turn, be shown to the community.

In other words, Christians are not required simply to
love others, but to do so to the extent that they self
sacrifice part of themselves in doing so.
1.
Situation is based on Christian ethical
values.
2.
It is to replace other forms of Christian
morality and become the dominant decision
making method.
3.
Its central claim is that you should love
your neighbour.
4.
That love is a selfless love and should be
the decision making factor
THE NEW
MORALITY
 TO
KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS
OF LEGALISM AND ANTINOMIANISM
 TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
MIDDLE WAY IS.
 KEY
WORDS
 LEGALISM
 ANTINOMIANISM
 SITUATIONIST
 Explain
the meaning of the keywords and the
link to situation ethics

There are three types of ethical ways to make a
moral decision.

What might they be?

Legalistic ethics has a set of prefabricated moral laws
such as; thou shalt not steal.

Judaism and Christianity both have legalistic ethical
traditions.

Judaism has a law-based life based on the halakah
oral tradition

Christianity focuses on natural law or the
commandments. (which is?)

What about our society?

According to fletcher, legalistic ethics runs into
problems when life throws you a curve ball and
requires an additional law to fit a situation.

Example: once murder has been prohibited you
have to clarify

Self defence

War

Abortion/euthanasia etc

The legalist must either include all of the complex
alternatives in the law or create new laws to cover
the result.
 This
can produce a choking web of law.
A
textbook morality that requires people to
check the rulebook before they act.
 This
is apparent in Islam and Judaism. There
are legal rulings covering everything and are
issued by the supreme courts.
 What
lost?
happens when the source of authority is
 For
Fletcher this error has been made by
Catholics through their adherence to natural
law, and by protestants through puritanical
observance of the Bible.
 The
fanatical rigid sticking to moral laws in not,
in the end, morally good, or morally good
enough.
 Why
not?
 Fletcher
as a result rejects legalistic ethics.
 This
 It
is the reverse of legalistic ethics
means against the law.
A
person who uses this doesn’t have an
ethical system at all.
 They
enter each moral decision as if it were
unique.
 Making
a moral decision is a matter of
spontaneity.
 example
 According
to Fletcher
 “It
is literally unprincipled, purely ad hoc
and causal”
 “They
follow no forecastable course from
one situation to another.”
 “They
are exactly, anarchic – without rule.”
 Fletcher
criticises the antinomian approach
because it is unprincipled.
 The
third approach is the situationist
approach.
 A different way of thinking about ethics
 Which is more concerned with love and
people than rules for rules sake.
 The situationists enter into the moral
dilemma with the ethics, rules and principles
of the community or tradition
 But they are prepared to set them aside
when the situation dictates.
 example
 The
middle road
 Situationist
ethics is in the middle.
 This
indicates that Fletcher appreciates the
usefulness of both legalism and
antinomianism in ethical decision making but
thinks that they are extremes.
legalism
Situationism
antinomianism
1.
The situation is an important factor in
moral decision-making and influences
whether the rule should be set aside.
2.
Reason is to be the instrument of moral
judgements
3.
Moral decisions are hypothetical
4.
The deciding factor is love
“The situationist follows a moral law or
violates it according to loves need.”
 Deontologicalists
do give answers to the
problems suggested by Fletcher
 Hare’s
“principle of overridingness” argues
that rules are not absolute rather they are
objective – meaning they relate to factual
situations in the world.
 Where
a factual situation requires it, the
rule can be overridden.
 Act-utilitarianism
overcomes this problem
without resorting to antinomianism
 Do
 Is
we need situation?
it the middle path?
 There
are three ways to make moral
decisions
 Legalistic
 Antinomianism
 Situationist
 Fletcher
believes that situation is the middle
road between the two.
 The
deontologist can respond
THE NEW
MORALITY
 TO
KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE
OF SITUATION IN MORAL DECISION MAKING
 KEY
WORDS
 REASON
 HYPOTHETICAL JUDGEMENT
 LOVE
1.
The situation is an important factor in
moral decision-making and influences
whether the rule should be set aside.
2.
Reason is to be the instrument of moral
judgements
3.
Moral decisions are hypothetical
4.
The deciding factor is love

The situation is an important factor in moral decisionmaking and influences whether the rule should be set
aside.

Situations are important because they are all unique. No
matter what situation you are in no two situations are
exactly the same.

Therefore a rule cannot apply to all situations.

Each person approaches the situation with an
understanding of a set of rules. However situation ethics
says that it is not necessary that they follow them.

In each situation you make a judgement based on the
foreseen consequences.

EXAMPLE?

In each situation you are assessing the
consequences.

If the consequences of the rule produce the most
‘love’ you follow the rule.

If the consequences require the rule be set aside
to produce the most ‘love’ you set aside the rule
and act according to what you think will produce
the most love.

This is a teleological judgement because it is
based on the action and not on a principle.

Issues?
 You
use your own reason – mental
understanding/logical reasoning to work out
the correct thing to do.
 You
must think carefully about what is going
to produce the most love.
 You
must analyse the scenario properly in
order to decide what is the most loving thing
to do.
 Issues?
 Situations
believe that moral decisions are
hypothetical
 This
means that they are dependent on some
other issue being so in order to be true.
 For
example the statement “charity is good”
is not enough. It requires the additional ‘if’.
 It
becomes “charity is good if... It produces
the most love.”
 HOW
DOES THIS LINK TO UTILIARIANISM?
 ISSUES?
 The
deciding factor is love or agape.
 You
must seek to maximise the most love in
any situation.
 This
is not romantic love or erotic love.
 It
is a selfless love a Self sacrificing love with
benefits others before it benefits you.
 Issues?
 THE
JEWS AND THE NAZI GUARDS
1.
A legalist would tell the truth
2.
An antinomian would be unpredictable
3.
A situationist would lie
 THE
INDECENT PROPOSAL
1.
To survive?
2.
For luxury purposes?
3.
To fund a life-saving operation for a friend.
A
teenage girl has become pregnant as a
result of being raped by a close family
member. She’s very poor and very young.
1.
How would legalists, antinomianists and
situationists deal with the issue?
2.
What are the advantages and disadvantages
of their approaches?
1.
2.
Read through the slides on conscience and
learn Butlers understanding of conscience.
Research Aquinas’ view as well.
 William
temple (1881-1944) ‘what acts are
right may depend on the circumstances...but
there is an absolute obligation to will
whatever may on each occasion be right’
 The
only absolute law is that you should do
what is right and that what is right is based
on love.
1.
The situation is an important factor in
moral decision-making and influences
whether the rule should be set aside.
2.
Reason is to be the instrument of moral
judgements
3.
Moral decisions are hypothetical
4.
The deciding factor is love
THE NEW
MORALITY
 TO
KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHAT
FLETCHERS CONCEPTION OF CONSCIENCE IS
 TO
KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHY THE
EMPHASIS IS ON MORAL DECISION MAKING
AND NOT FOLLOWING RULES.
 KEY
WORDS
 MORAL DECISION
 CONSCIENCE
 NOUN VS. VERB
 Explain
 30
the features of situation ethics.
marks
 Use
PEE system.
 Give examples
 Link paragraphs together.
 Give a summary conclusion
 TYPED AND EMAILED
 DUE TUESDAY

'The Situation Ethic, unlike some other kinds, is
an ethic of decision - of making decisions rather
than 'looking them up' in a manual of
prefabricated rules.‘

He is claiming that action is more important than
no action.

A person should be defined through their actions
and their choices.

The emphasis here is on moral action because
you cannot know before the situation arises what
you are going to take. All you can do is make an
individual assessment.

The emphasis for Fletcher is making moral
decision rather than following rules.

This means that the individual should have
complete control over their own moral course.

They should be responsible for all their actions

The legal guardian of their own future.

He believes that following rules does not make
you a moral person because you have not worked
the right answer out yourself.
 It
is primarily a challenge to the legalism of
the established Christian church because it
believes that strict adherence to the laws of
the Bible or natural law does not express the
teachings of Jesus as Fletcher sees it.
 He
makes it very clear that making a moral
choice should be individual to the situation
and to the person.
 this
is therefore, teleological
 Fletcher
makes it clear what type of decision
is the correct one but it is hard to determine
how you should make a choice if there is no
set rules.
 Fletcher
draws on the writings of other
Christians who have said that the best thing
to help you understand the correct course of
action is to use your conscience.
 Fletchers
understanding says that as long as
your conscience is lined up with the idea
love then you will make the right choice.
 Some
Christian writers argued that
conscience was the voice of God inside you.
It was God telling you what the most loving
thing to do is.
 Others
have identified it with a faculty of the
mind. A sort of sixth sense given to you by
God to help identify the correct moral
action.
 Fletcher
disagrees.
 Conscience
is used in a special sense in
situation ethics.
1. Fletcher rejects the idea that conscience is
2. Intuition
3. A channel for divine guidance
4. The internalised values of the individuals
culture
5. The part of reason that makes value
judgements
 All of these are mistakes.
 He
believes that conscience is not a bag of
reliable rules and principles to tell you what
to do.
 It in no way guides human action.
 For the situationist conscience describes the
process of weighing up of the possible action
before it is taken.
 It is the process of reasoning through to
come to a decision.
 Conscience
 It
is a verb and not a noun.
is a doing action.
 It
is something that you do when you make
decisions.
 The
weighing up of possible actions
 As
a result when you come to an ethical
decision weighing up the possible actions is
the process of conscience
 You
are not using your conscience to make up
your mind.
 examples?

Situation ethics is about making a moral choice.

It is not about following rules.

The individual is important in the process.

A person makes their moral choice using
conscience but conscience is used in a special
sense.

It is not, intuition, a faculty, the voice of God or
the voice of society.

It is the process of you making a reasoned choice
given the circumstances available.
THE NEW
MORALITY

TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE SIX
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF SITUATION
ETHICS

KEY WORDS
INTRINSIC
RELATIVISM
JUSTICE




Situation ethics is sensitive to variety and
complexity in the individual situation.

In order to ensure a person enacting conscience
chooses the correct decision Fletcher envisioned
principles to illuminate the situation but not
direct action

Fletcher divides his principles into two
categories.

The six fundamental principles

The four presumptions (or four working
principles)
 First
proposition
 “Only
one thing is intrinsically good; namely
love: nothing else at all.”
 Only
love is good in and of itself. Actions
aren’t intrinsically good or evil.
 They
are evil/good depending on how much
love they produce.
 They
are extrinsically good depending on
their circumstances and consequences.
 Extrinsic
– not part of the essential nature,
coming out or operating from outside the
object.
 Their
goodness comes from the love they
produce.
 EVALUATE?
 Second
proposition
 The
ruling norm of Christian decision is love:
nothing else.
 Fletcher
believes that Jesus replaced the
Jewish Torah (laws) with love.
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain
fields, and as his disciples walked along, they
began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees
said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is
unlawful on the Sabbath?"

He answered, "Have you never read what
David did when he and his companions were
hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the
high priest, he entered the house of God and ate
the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for
priests to eat. And he also gave some to his
companions."

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made
for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of
Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

 This
took place on the Sabbath
 On
the Sabbath it was forbidden to…
…work.
 To
this day certain Orthodox Jews will
observe this rule to a very high degree.
 The
switching on of lights would be
forbidden on the Sabbath, for example.
 In
this story, Jesus’ disciples are criticised
for picking corn on the Sabbath as they
walk through a field on their way to the
synagogue. Technically, this is harvesting.
 Jesus
also made the decision to heal (work)
on the Sabbath thus rejecting the obligations
of Sabbath observance.
 The
commandments are not absolute. Jesus
broke them when love demanded it.
 Fletcher
as a result believes that the law of
“Love” for Christianity is not equalled by any
other law.
 Example?
 EVALUATE?

“Love an justice are the same, for justice is love
distributed, nothing else.”

For Fletcher love and justice cannot be
separated from each other.

“Justice is Christian love using its head,
calculating its duties, obligations, opportunities,
resources...justice is love coping with situations
where distribution is called for.”

Example?

EVALUATE?

“Love wills the neighbour’s good, whether we
like him or not.”

The love that Fletcher is concerned about isn’t a
matter of feeling but towards another person.

It isn’t sentimental or erotic but a desire for the
good for the other person to be done.

New testament – agape love.

Your neighbour is anybody and agape is
unconditional; nothing is required in return.

Example?

EVALUATE?
 “Only
the end justifies the means, nothing
else.”
 You
should consider every action in result of
its consequences.
 The
consequences of every moral action
should be the most loving.
 The
end must be the most loving result.
 when
calculating you must consider;
1.
The desired end
2.
The means available
3.
The motive for acting
4.
The foreseeable consequences
 Example?
 EVALUATE?
 Loves
decisions are made situationally; not
prescriptively.
 You
should not create a moral law for a
situation based on love.
 You
should use love in each situation even if
they situations are similar.

Fletcher says that Jesus reacted against the kind
of rule-based morality that he saw around him.

There were Jewish groups that lived within rulebased moral systems but Jesus distanced himself
from them.

Whether something is wrong or right depends
entirely on the individual situation.

If an action brings about the most love then that
action is right.

example.?

EVALUATE?
 Take
a moral dilemma you are familiar with
and apply Fletcher's six propositions to the
dilemma.
1.
How straightforward is it to apply them?
2.
What is the result of Fletcher's thinking?
3.
How morally satisfying do you think it is?

Fletcher created six fundamental principles to
be used as guides to illuminate the situation
not to prescribe action. They are:
1.
Love is the only thing that is intrinsically good.
2.
Love is a moral truth for Christianity
3.
Love and justice are the same
4.
Agape is selfless love
5.
Only the consequences matter in an action
6.
you should act as if all moral situations are
unique
THE NEW
MORALITY
1.
TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND FLETCHER’S
FOUR PRESUMPTIONS OF; PRAGMATISM,
CONTEXTUAL RELATIVISM, POSITIVISM AND
PERSONALISM
KEY WORDS
 PRAGMATISM
 POSITIVISM
 PERSONALISM
2.
Using the worksheet
 Explain each proposition and evaluate the
practicality of each one.
AND
 Explain each assumption and evaluate the
practicality of each one.

It is clear from the six propositions that fletchers
moral theory differs from traditional Christian
ethics.

It embraces a form of relativism as actions are
not intrinsically right or wrong.

Actions are right or wrong depending on their
result.

For Fletcher the good result is that which serves
agape best.

Any action that leads to the end is right.
Whether any form of sex is good or evil depends
on whether love is fully served.
 Fletchers
ethical thinking – his reasoning,
rests on some general principles.
 These are:
1. Pragmatism
2. Relativism
3. Positivism
4. Personalism
5.
These are also known as four working
principles.
 Fletcher
claims that any ethical theory must
be pragmatic.
 It
must be practical and work in each
situation.
 As
a result an ethical theory must have some
form of success criteria.
 Fletcher’s
success criteria is...
 That
in any situation LOVE is the overriding
principle.
 What
is this similar to?
 Examples?
 Fletcher
believed that the best moral
theories were relative as no two situations or
people are the same.
 Fletcher
writes:
 “The
Situationist avoids words like “never”,
and “perfect” and “always” and “complete”;
as he avoids the plague, so he avoids
“absolutely”
 What
is his one exception to this rule?

There are no fixed rules that must be obeyed.

However it is not a free for all – this is called....

Antinomianism

All decisions are relative in accordance with
love.

“Situation ethics relativizes the absolute, it does
not absolutivize the relative.”

Examples?
 Situation
ethics depends on people freely
choosing to be Christian.
 It
does not provide an argument for why you
should be a Christian.
 It
is not a logical proof for the existence of
God.
 Rather
it says if you believe in God, and you
claim to follow Jesus then this is how you
should act.

This is theological positivism

Faith statements are made “love will bring you
salvation through Jesus”

And people act in a way that is reasonable.

If you believe in the premise “love is intrinsically
good” then you should follow Situation ethics

it is what is reasonable to deduce from the
statement.

Examples?
 Situation
ethics is concerned with the
individual person.
 The
personalised moral situation
 Legalism
puts the law first.
 Situation
puts people first.
 There
are no “values” in the sense of
inherent goods – value is what happens to
something when it happens to be useful to
love working for the sake of humans.
 Something
is valuable if it is useful in
producing love.
 Only
love is intrinsically valuable.
 People
are more sacred than rules.
 Examples?
 In
pairs consider each of these presumptions.
 Do
you think that these presumptions are
correct or can they be challenged?
1.
Are there no absolute laws at all?
2.
Is it practical to have an approach to morality
which puts people first and does not consider
rules that important?
3.
What about people who don’t have a strong
sense of what is right?
4.
How do you punish people?
 Fletcher
makes four general assumptions or
presumptions about ethics before he starts.
 These are:
1. Pragmatism
2. Relativism
3. Positivism
4. Personalism

These are also known as four working
principles.
THE NEW
MORALITY

TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE STRENGTHS
OF SITUATION ETHICS INCLUDING A
DISCUSSION OF PRACTICALITY
KEY WORDS
 PRACTICAL
 GUIDANCE
 JESUS

 Flexible
and practical
 Follows
the teaching of jesus
 Considers
the whole situation and
respects laws
 There
is guidance available
 Forward
looking
 Does
not produce rules on how to act rather
there is guidance available to make the right
decision.
 Fletcher
provides guidance and criteria with
the 4 working principles and 6 fundamental
principles
 This
means that everyone can follow it.
 What
about children?
 What
about non-Christians?
 It
considers the situation and consequences
e.g. a pregnancy as a result of rape.
 Natural
law is inflexible.
 it
therefore gives it a dynamism that can free
up deadlocked moral dilemmas.
 You
simply step away from the law.
 Embryo
research, genetic engineering,
environmental issues
 examples?

It’s only absolute principle is agapeic love.

This is a core belief of Jesus

he did not judge prostitutes or outcasts

He broke the Sabbath rules and put people first.

He healed people who needed healing and fed
the poor.

Even in death he put himself before others
through the crucifixion.

Examples?
 It
considers the whole situation and whilst
respecting the laws is prepared to set
them aside if agapeic love requires.
 Stealing
is okay to save a family from
starving.

the individual situation is what matters
not the overriding law.
 Example?
 It
was described by Bishop Robinson as an
‘ethic for man coming of age’
 which
means we can be trusted to assess
dilemmas and come to our decisions using
Agape rather than following rules blindly.
 It
is an ethic for the new culture of
humanity where everyone is equal.
 Is
this Idealistic?
 CONTINUUM
OF BELIEF
 Arrange
yourself in agreement or
disagreement with the strength.
 You
will be asked to explain why you agree or
disagree.
 Flexible
and practical
 Follows
the teaching of Jesus
 Considers
the whole situation and
respects laws
 There
is guidance available
 Forward
looking
THE NEW
MORALITY

TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE
WEAKNESSES OF SITUATION ETHICS
INCLUDING A DISCUSSION OF PRACTICALITY
KEY WORDS
 IMPRACTICAL
 PREDICTION
 ABSOLUTES

 “Situation
ethics is impractical as an ethical
theory.” Evaluate
 15
MARKS
 Use
PEE system.
 Give examples
 Link paragraphs together.
 Give a summary conclusion
 TYPED AND EMAILED
 DUE TUESDAY
1.
impractical
2.
Predict the future
3.
Rules are easier
4.
Judgement
5.
Intrinsic worth
6.
Can everyone follow it?
7.
Freedom may be too much
 The
theory is impractical
 There
is not the time nor the practicality
to make the moral calculations necessary.
 If
you have to weighup each individual
situation even ones as minute as crossing
the road in terms of the love created it
becomes a logistical nightmare.
 Not
everyone is capable of making such
moral choice or evaluating their life in
this way.
 Not
everyone is capable of making such
moral choice or evaluating their life in this
way.
 Rules
are easier
 They
work for children
 As
not everyone has a moral understanding of
the world rules allow everyday people to
exist and act in a way that benefits society
without making moral decisions.
 Rules
benefit the everyday person in the
street.
 Examples?
 Situation
ethics gives priority to
consequences
 However
future.
it requires you to predict the
 Just
because a 16 year old pregnant girl
gets pregnant does not mean she will be a
good mother.
 How
can you know the full range of
decisions.
 Examples?
 Surely
value?
some actions have no intrinsic moral
 Actions
like stealing, rape or murder.
I
may steal a gun to kill a mass murderer.
Stealing a gun in this situation may be
morally good, but that does not make
stealing generally morally right?
 Is
it not better an easier that somethings are
morally wrong?
 Examples?
 William
Barclay feels the freedom that
situation ethics allows a person is terrifying.
 When
faced with a situation there is no
‘prefabricated judgement; you – just you –
have to make the right decision.’
 There
 No
is no ready made decision
easy answer
 Even
 With
for the most everyday things
to much freedom people can become
selfish or even cruel the complete opposite
of agape
1.
Take a copy of either a strength or a weakness
2.
find a partner who in an essay would fit together
and is the opposite to your argument i.e. weakness
– strength or vice versa
3.
Explain the link between the two premises and how
you would write it in an essay
4.
find another pair and link together
5.
Finally arrange a way of linking the whole group
together.

What is the best arrangement.

What are linking sentences

What would a conclusion be?
 Using
the cards create an evaluation of
Fletcher’s situation ethics.
1.
take a theory
2.
explain it using bullets
3.
Give an example
4.
Then link an opposite view
5.
explain it using bullets
6.
Give an example
7.
Repeat this so you have four arguments and
write your own conclusion.
 How
can we judge people?
 Judgement
relies on their being a clear
rule which a person breaks.
 Situation
ethics has no clear rules except
that you must act in love.
 Therefore,
it is impossible to judge
somebody even if they do something
which the rest of society would disagree
with.
 Example?
1.
impractical
2.
Predict the future
3.
Rules are easier
4.
Judgement
5.
Intrinsic worth
6.
Can everyone follow it?
7.
Freedom may be too much
THE NEW
MORALITY
 TO
KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE ADDITIONS
OF PROPORTIONALISM AND CONTEXTUALISM
 KEY
WORDS
 CONTEXTUALISM
 PROPORTIONALISM
 MAXIM
 Situation
ethics has been important in the
assessment of modern Christian ethics.
 Paul
Lehmann wrote ethics in a Christian
Context and is associated with what is called
contextual ethics.
 His
thinking is similar to Fletcher’s in that
love is central, and Christian behaviour
cannot be generalised.
 He
is according to RM Crook more concerned
with faith in Christ and the involvement of
the Christian community than Fletcher
 Christian
ethics can be defined as
 “Disciplined
reflection upon the question and
its answer; What am I, as a believer in Jesus
Christ and as a member of his Church to do?
Christian ethics is not concerned with the
good, but what I, as a believer in Jesus
Christ, and as a member of his church, am to
do. Christian ethics, in other words, is
orientated toward revelation and not
towards morality.”

Christian ethics can be defined as;
1.
You should think about these two questions
1.
What am I, as a believer in Jesus Christ and
2.
What am I, as a member of the Church to do?
2.
Christian ethics is not after absolutes
3.
but individual actions that benefit the
community.
4.
Finding the revealed answer.
5.
Not using rules to act correctly.

For Lehmann the Christian community is
very important.

This is less personal than Fletchers view.

Decision making is made by the church not
by an individual on their own.

The church is the moral space where
decisions should be considered.

This is because it has a maturity and an
authority on Christ which is important for
making the ethical decisions.
 Less
personal
 Gives
more authority to the church
 Takes
the responsibility from the individual
 Has
to create rules because the church could
not make your decisions for you.
 Focuses
 No
on the issues faced in society
mention of relativity – this is essentially
what happened and we have had no change
for over 1200 years.
 This
is a fusion of natural law and situation
ethics.
 Created
in an attempt to fuse the important
advancements of situation ethics but retain
the traditional interpretations of natural law.
 It
is supposed to be a midway between the
two.
natural
law
proportionalism
Situation
ethics
 Situation
ethics opposes natural law on
several grounds.
 Natural
law states that actions are
intrinsically good/bad according to the law
of nature.
 Situation
– whatever produced the most
happiness.
 Natural
law deontological
 Situation
teleological

Bernard Hoose modifies both theories.

He comes up with the maxim

“It is never right to go against a principle unless
there is a proportionate reason which would
justify it.”

This means that it helps deal with controversial
ethical reasons but allows the rules to take
priority.

This was thought to overcome many of the issues
facing situation ethics.

Example?
 It
is not a new idea
 It
can be found in Aquinas creation of the
Just war principles which makes it possible
for a church that opposes killing to justify
war in particular circumstances.
 It
other words the basic rule of ‘do not kill’
usually applies, but there are certain
proportionate circumstances when it can be
right to overrule the moral principle.
 There
is no guidance on when you can put
aside a moral law
 It
does not help the everyday person as there
is no working definition of proportion
 There
is no understanding of how it can
produce a consistent ethical theory.
 It
also does not accept the supremacy of
Jesus as Fletcher originally proposed.
 The
church still has ultimate authority.
Contextualism
1.

The church should make the decisions not the
individual based on love
1.
No individual enough
2.
To much power to the church
Proportionalism
2.

The law stands unless there is a proportional
reason to avoid it.
1.
No clear definition of proportion
2.
To much power to the church
THE NEW
MORALITY
 TO
CONSIDER HOW COMPATIBLE SITUATION
ETHICS IS WITH OTHER CHRISTIAN ETHICAL
SYSTEMS.
 KEY
WORDS
 GOD’S WILL
 REVELATION
 EVIDENCE
 Explain
the meaning of the keywords and the
link to situation ethics
 As
a priest, Joseph Fletcher claimed
situational ethics to be a true set of Christian
morals that tie in with Biblical teaching.
 However,
not all people agree with him on
this, so he presented some passages of
relevant biblical scripture, and left it up to
the reader as to whether the teachings of
situational ethics are Biblical or not
 Traditional
Christian thinkers reject situation
ethics Pope Pius called situation ethics
 “an
individualistic and subjective appeal to
the concrete circumstances of action that
attempts to justify decisions in opposition to
the natural law or Gods revealed will.”
 Catholics
see natural law as Gods revealed
will. His aim for people.
 Therefore,
situation ethics is trying to justify
things that are not to be justified.
 The
RC church hasn’t abandoned Natural Law
and views situation ethics as a subjective and
individualistic moral approach
 Isn’t
that the point though?
 Many
religious views of ethics are based on
rules-based systems of thinking

Either because it is believed that these rules are
good for us

Or because they are God’s rules for us.
1.
Ten commandments
2.
Natural law
 Situation
ethics seems to be a long way from
traditional Christian ethics
 However
the evidence presented by Fletcher
does seem to indicate that Jesus was
prepared to set aside some rules in some
cases.
 Usually
because a person mattered more
than the rule
1.
He associated with those that were sinners and
unclean (sick)
2.
He worked on the Sabbath.
3.
He overrode the ten commandments

An expert in the law, tested Him with this question: 'Teacher,
which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' Jesus replied:

''Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment.

And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' All the
Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments.‘” (Matthew
22:35-40)

Well said, teacher', the man replied. 'You are right in saying that
God is one and there is no other but him.

To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and
with all your strength,

and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all
burnt offerings and sacrifices.'

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, 'You
are not far from the kingdom of God.'...“ (Mark 12:28-34)
 "Then
He said to them, 'The Sabbath was
made for man, not man for the Sabbath...'"
(Mark 2:27)
"One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the
house of a prominent Jew, He was being
carefully watched.
 There in front of Him was a man suffering from
dropsy.
 Jesus asked the experts in the law, 'Is it lawful to
heal on the Sabbath or not?' But they remained
silent.
 So taking hold of the man, He healed him and
sent him away.
 Then He asked them, 'If one of you has a son or
an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day,
will you not immediately pull him out?' And they
had nothing to say."(Luke 14:1-6)


"For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision has any value.

The only thing that counts is faith expressing
itself through love...

You, my brothers, were called to be free.

But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful
nature

rather, serve one another in love. The entire law
is summed up in a single command: 'Love your
neighbour as yourself.'"
(Galatians 5:6-14)
 There
exists the concept of ‘pastoral
reasons’
 This
means that local ministers can use their
own judgement to differentiate how they
apply laws to particular people in certain
situations.
 There
is a recognition that sometimes, heavy
rule-based approaches to people in complex
and difficult situations may not be the most
helpful way of ministering to them.

Situation ethics provides an alternative Christian
ethics that is consistent with the Gospel take on
the legalistic character Jesus opposed.

Situation ethics develops a principle from Jesus’s
action of breaking the law when it was necessary
for love.

It could be said that situation ethics is more
consistent with the new testament than Natural
Law because it takes its evidence directly from
the New Testament.

It is a corrective to that and other legalistic
approaches.

Not all people agree that situation ethics is Christian.
1.
Catholic Church feels it is individualistic, subjective
and against the will of God.
2.
Christian ethics is rule based.

Ten commandments

Natural Law

However Fletcher provided Biblical evidence which
shows Jesus disregarding the law when love dictated.

Because of this it could be more consistent with the
Christianity than NL

Pastoral reasons allow a minister to let situations
matter in how to minister individuals.
 SENTENCE
EXPANSION
 Christianity is a christian ethic because...
 Christianity
 EXPAND
CAN.
is not a christian ethic because...
THESE SENTENCES AS MUCH AS YOU
THE NEW
MORALITY
 TO
KNOW AND UNDERSTAND HOW SITUATION
ETHICS WOULD DEAL WITH THE ETHICAL
ISSUES OF EMBRYONIC RESEARCH AND
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS.
 KEY
WORDS
 EMBRYONIC
 ENVIRONMENTAL
 UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
 Revise
for unseen exam next lesson
1.
What options are available in this situation?
2.
Which of these options gives most
consideration to the people in the situation?
3.
Pragmatically, how likely is each option to
succeed?
4.
Regardless of moral laws, how loving (in an
unconditional agape sense) will the outcome or
consequences be?
5.
To what extent does each option seem to
reflect a love that supports the whole
community – just love?
 Embryo
Research is the resultant of doing
something useful with spare embryos which
are fertilised to maximise chances of
pregnancy through IVF.
BENEFITS

embryo research come
mainly from stem cell
usage

it is hoped that stem
cells can be stimulated
to develop any tissue or
organ of the human
body.

ISSUES

personhood; whether
or not an embryo can
be considered as a
person with rights

the right to life; the
extent to which an
embryo has the right
to life and the
morality of discarding
it for research.

Pain
A cure for Alzheimers
and Parkinsons may be
possible in the near
future as a result of
embryo research.
a team of scientists are using embryos donated from
IVF to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
What is the motive
behind the action?
1.
Is the love
selfless?
3.

Love - moral

Yes – moral

Not love – immoral

No – immoral
Does it produce
the most love?
2.

Yes – moral

No – immoral
Does it benefit the
community in a
sense of Justice?
4.

Yes – moral

No – immoral
 Environmental
Ethics is the
relationship
between human
beings and the
environment in
which they live
ISSUES
 GLOBAL
WARMING
 POLLUTION
 OVER
POPULATION
 ANIMAL
RIGHTS
An individual is considering if he should sell his car
for a more energy efficient one.
What is the motive
behind the action?
1.
Is the love
selfless?
3.

Love - moral

Yes – moral

Not love – immoral

No – immoral
Does it produce
the most love?
2.

Yes – moral

No – immoral
Does it benefit the
community in a
sense of Justice?
4.

Yes – moral

No – immoral

Embryo research is concerned with using
embryos to create medical advancements

The environmental concerns facing planet
earth suggest we need to change our ways.

A situationist would ask:

1.
What is the motive behind the action?
2.
Does it produce the most love?
3.
Is the love selfless?
4.
Does it benefit the community in a sense of Justice?
To decide what is the best course of action
morally.
THE NEW
MORALITY
 TO
COMPLETE A TIMED ESSAY
 KEY
WORDS
 POINT
 EXAMPLE
 EXPLAIN