Analysis: Joseph Fletcher's Situation Ethics
Introduction
Joseph Fletcher is identified as the "Father of Situation Ethics" as well as the pioneer of "Biomedical Ethics." His book Situation Ethics is used as a model for the Situation Ethics platform and nearly all later studies and research refer to Fletcher's model. He died in 1991, at the age of 86. He was born a protestant and became a priest in the Episcopal Seminary in the 1960's. He was an advocate of Planned Parenthood and member of the Euthanasia Educational Council.
Definition
• Situation Ethics is based on one principle: Ethics (or doing good) is a matter of always acting in agape (love).
• Agape is defined as benevolence or good will, or as giving love constantly and unconditionally, regardless of the actions of the loved one.
• Legalism is the insistence that predetermined laws are to be put into action when they are relevant to the situation at hand.
• Antinomianism says no guidelines or principles, not even love, can tell us whether an action is right or wrong.
Fletcher's situationism is based on four main presuppositions.
1. Pragmatism ~ Whether we like it or not, what is good must be judged on the basis of what works. 2. Relativism ~ Situation ethics is also based on the principle of relativism. This does not mean that everything is relative. It still claims the principle of love. However, the way in which love is carried out may be different from one situation to another. 3. Positivism ~ Faith claims cannot be proven to be true rationalistically. They can only be "posited" and affirmed by the person who chooses to believe their accuracy. Thus, situationism does not seek to prove that an ethical conclusion is true. It only seeks to provide justification (support) for the ethical decision. 4. Personalism ~ Ethics cannot be separated from people. To have an ethical system that is based upon a code or rule without regard for the people is pointless. Situationism, with love as its primary standard, focuses on love
Joseph Fletcher is identified as the "Father of Situation Ethics" as well as the pioneer of "Biomedical Ethics." His book Situation Ethics is used as a model for the Situation Ethics platform and nearly all later studies and research refer to Fletcher's model. He died in 1991, at the age of 86. He was born a protestant and became a priest in the Episcopal Seminary in the 1960's. He was an advocate of Planned Parenthood and member of the Euthanasia Educational Council.
Definition
• Situation Ethics is based on one principle: Ethics (or doing good) is a matter of always acting in agape (love).
• Agape is defined as benevolence or good will, or as giving love constantly and unconditionally, regardless of the actions of the loved one.
• Legalism is the insistence that predetermined laws are to be put into action when they are relevant to the situation at hand.
• Antinomianism says no guidelines or principles, not even love, can tell us whether an action is right or wrong.
Fletcher's situationism is based on four main presuppositions.
1. Pragmatism ~ Whether we like it or not, what is good must be judged on the basis of what works. 2. Relativism ~ Situation ethics is also based on the principle of relativism. This does not mean that everything is relative. It still claims the principle of love. However, the way in which love is carried out may be different from one situation to another. 3. Positivism ~ Faith claims cannot be proven to be true rationalistically. They can only be "posited" and affirmed by the person who chooses to believe their accuracy. Thus, situationism does not seek to prove that an ethical conclusion is true. It only seeks to provide justification (support) for the ethical decision. 4. Personalism ~ Ethics cannot be separated from people. To have an ethical system that is based upon a code or rule without regard for the people is pointless. Situationism, with love as its primary standard, focuses on love