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Situation Ethics - Coggle Diagram

- - - - A teleological approach where individuals are encouraged to consider the most loving outcome may best produce a good outcome as agape is always good, personalism is good
      - It is a simple idea to follow with love as the only absolute so it is accessible and easy for follow for all
      - We cannot predict all consequences so cannot make an informed decision, seems too calculating, and St Paul disallowed any 'evil so that good may come' as an end
      - What is love? This seems too subjective and individualistic. How do we apply love in terms of justice? It may be too simple. The right thing may not be good, Phillips says it is often unclear what the 'right thing' is
    - - Showing agape is one of the greatest commands in Christianity and is in accordance with God's will, so is good as God wills the best for us
      - Acting for the good of others is always a good thing and acting with this interest towards people (personalism) seems like a good way of trying to find a good outcome for them
      - The basis of agape in religion may be unappealing to secular society, as a universal approach to ethics may be preferred
      - What does agape look like in practice? This is not always clear and Fletcher's ideas can be criticised meaning that ideas of right and wrong cannot always be based on love but rather seem more calculating and utilitarian
    - - Agape is a key part of Christian teaching as Jesus said the greatest commandments were to 'Love God' and 'Love your neighbour as yourself'
      - Agape is distinctly Christian as Jesus said, 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples; if you have love for one another'
      - Jesus also opposed the Pharisees' legalism, supporting Fletcher's view that moral decisions are to be made situationally when applying the principle of agape
      - Fletcher used the Bible selectively as Jesus clearly condemned divorce and adultery, so his idea of agape being founded in religion is unstable
      - Agape is not distinctly Christian as taking others' best interests into account is also found in Pinker's humanitarian principle
      - The Pope clearly rejected SE and the flexibility in the application of agape reduced it down to act utilitarianism, where calculation is dressed up as love
    - - Agape is still the key principle which 'does not absolutise the relative' - there are some acts where agape can never be served justifiably, hence it is not entirely subjective
      - The nature of agape means that we are forced to consider others in our ethical decisions, limiting the scope for selfish individualism
      - Different people will have different ideas about what the most loving thing is so will be applying it differently, making agape highly subjective and perhaps overly flexible
      - Each individual will have different ideas of the consequences which will impact their decision of what is morally justifiable, so it depends on the individual in the circumstance at hand