Situation Ethics
Agape
‘good will at work in partnership with reason.’
Origins
- from the Old Testament, rather than friendship love or romantic love agape is
a love that is an attitude rather than feeling to worship God through loving
our neighbours
- ‘empirical, fact-minded, data conscious, enquiring’ Fletcher
- ‘Everything else without exception, all laws and rules… are only
contingent, only valid if they happen to serve love in any situation.’
Fletcher
Strengths
1. Justice is ensured as it’s unbiased and not preferential
2. attempts to be objective and empirical in order to be easier to follow
3. Love was the most important teaching of Jesus for many Christians, ‘the
whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘you shall love your neighbour as
yourself.’ Galatians 5:14
Weaknesses
1. Naïve to assume feelings can be disregarded
2. hard to implement when there is no perfect outcome, which neighbour’s best
interest is best?
3. As a Christian ethic it isn’t entirely applicable to atheists, agape is ‘the love
of gratitude, of thanksgiving to God.’
4. a lot of crossover with utilitarianism which makes it hard to distinguish. ‘our
situation ethics frankly joins forces with Mill.’ Fletcher
5. Fletcher said many parts of the Bible can be ‘thrown away as dross’ as agape
is the only absolute truth. Fletcher said Jesus was wrong about divorce and
anointing at Bethany.
6. By making love the key message of the Gospels, ‘we are no longer able to
hear what the claims of the Gospel are.’ Hauerwas
The Six Propositions
1. Love is the only good. ‘only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love.’
All actions are extrinsically good as it depends on their consequences and
circumstances
2. Love replaces law where necessary. Jesus frequently replaced the Torah with
agape, however this isn’t the same as an antinomian approach. the
situationist ‘is prepared in any situation to compromise the ethical
maxims of his community.’ Fletcher. Rules are still useful but ‘the best
players are those who know when to ignore them.’
3. Love and justice are the same. Agape love isn’t individualistic but about
fulfilling the principle of utility with agape. ‘Christian love using its head.’
Agape
‘good will at work in partnership with reason.’
Origins
- from the Old Testament, rather than friendship love or romantic love agape is
a love that is an attitude rather than feeling to worship God through loving
our neighbours
- ‘empirical, fact-minded, data conscious, enquiring’ Fletcher
- ‘Everything else without exception, all laws and rules… are only
contingent, only valid if they happen to serve love in any situation.’
Fletcher
Strengths
1. Justice is ensured as it’s unbiased and not preferential
2. attempts to be objective and empirical in order to be easier to follow
3. Love was the most important teaching of Jesus for many Christians, ‘the
whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘you shall love your neighbour as
yourself.’ Galatians 5:14
Weaknesses
1. Naïve to assume feelings can be disregarded
2. hard to implement when there is no perfect outcome, which neighbour’s best
interest is best?
3. As a Christian ethic it isn’t entirely applicable to atheists, agape is ‘the love
of gratitude, of thanksgiving to God.’
4. a lot of crossover with utilitarianism which makes it hard to distinguish. ‘our
situation ethics frankly joins forces with Mill.’ Fletcher
5. Fletcher said many parts of the Bible can be ‘thrown away as dross’ as agape
is the only absolute truth. Fletcher said Jesus was wrong about divorce and
anointing at Bethany.
6. By making love the key message of the Gospels, ‘we are no longer able to
hear what the claims of the Gospel are.’ Hauerwas
The Six Propositions
1. Love is the only good. ‘only one thing is intrinsically good; namely love.’
All actions are extrinsically good as it depends on their consequences and
circumstances
2. Love replaces law where necessary. Jesus frequently replaced the Torah with
agape, however this isn’t the same as an antinomian approach. the
situationist ‘is prepared in any situation to compromise the ethical
maxims of his community.’ Fletcher. Rules are still useful but ‘the best
players are those who know when to ignore them.’
3. Love and justice are the same. Agape love isn’t individualistic but about
fulfilling the principle of utility with agape. ‘Christian love using its head.’
