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situation ethics - Coggle Diagram
situation ethics
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Overview
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similar to Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics - Fletcher said that moral judgement should be individual and situational - we cannot lay down firm rules which will work in every situation
he was influenced by Archbishop William Temple (1881-1944) who said "what acts are right may depend on circumstances"
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situationism
legalism- approach which reduces moral life to a system of set regulations, Fletcher believed this lead to Puritanism, where the rules had greater dignity than the person
antinomianism- denial of any rules, found in Nietzsche and Sartre and other existentialists who thought we should only follow our own choices
situationism- believed in the rule of love, but believes it needs to be applied differently according to circumstances
situation ethics rejects "prefabricated decisions and prescriptive rules". It teaches that ethical decisions should follow flexible guidelines rather than absolute rules, and be take on a case-by-case basis
4 working principles
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positivism - it must put faith and belief in a God of Love, before reasoning - "I am a Christian, so what should I do"
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Conscience
not a thing we possess, it s the word used to describe the process in which we make out moral decisions; personal thought process
Fletcher treats conscience as a verb, a way of acting considering right or wrong - the process to which you consider "what is the most loving thing"
Strengths
Personal: Every moral decision is required to demonstrate respect for individuals and communities and the things that they regard as valuable. This avoids the logical, detached, impersonal ways of thinking
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