Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Situation Ethics, Pragmatism: must take the situation into account,…

- - - - Fletcher also rejects antinomianism - the view that there are no rules at all - Fletcher rejects this as it leads to moral chaos
        
        Fletcher thinks his situation ethics is the middle ground between these extremes
        
        It focuses on one guiding principle that is applied to all situations - agape
        
        Agape means Christian love - selfless love of your neighbour
        
        An action is good or bad depending on whether it has a loving outcome
        
        Fletcher elaborated on this with the 'four working principles':
        
        1 more item...
- - - - However, mow people are more civilised and can be trusted to think for themselves more
        
        Giving them more autonomy (a person's ability to act in his own values and interests) will increase love without risking stability of society
  - - - He says that situation ethics gives people a dangerous amount of freedom because people are not saints
        
        Mankind has not yet come of age and still needs the protection of strict laws
        
        Although people may seem like they have improved in modern times, if granted freedom to do what they want they won't choose the loving thing, they will choose the selfish or cruel thing to do
        
        This argument suggests that power corrupts
- - - - Yet, Fletcher says killing or adultery are both fine in situations where they have a loving outcome
        
        So, Fletcher fails because he claims to be Christian yet does not follow the Bible
        
        Furthermore: Mouw's critique. Mouw pointed out that Jesus made other commands. It makes no sense for Jesus to have only wanted us to follow the command of agape - then why would Jesus make other commands...?
  - - - He concludes that the only valid approach to the Bible is to follow its general themes
        
        So, Fletcher thinks he is following the Bible actually
        
        Furthermore, Jesus did say that loving your neighbour as yourself was the 'greatest commandment' - the fact that it's the 'greatest' supports Fletcher's approach of thinking it takes precedence over all others
- - - - Even some Nazis thought they were doing the loving thing
  - - - Agape is Christian selfless love of your neighbour
        
        Jesus was very clear that everyone is your neighbour
        
        The Nazis were not treating everyone like their neighbour - they were not acting based on agape
        
        So, agape is clearly not subjective like love in general is