Situation ethics
● Situation ethics is a view adopted by Fletcher that there is a single, absolute principle
of love to be applied in each situation, to produce the best outcome.
● It is a theological theory - any theory in which goodness or rightness is determined by
the outcome
● Fletcher studied the thought of William Temple, his ethic was personalist and
love-centred and also very situational
● Fletcher says, “there’s only one thing that is always good and right, and that one
thing is love… love is the only universal”
● The second idea shared with Temple is the notion that justice is love in action. The
3rd common feature is the insistence of both men on personalism - the belief that all
good is always good for a person or persons, goodness must always be experienced
as good by someone
● “The morality of an action depends on the situation” - Fletcher
Fletcher's situation ethics
● There are 3 possible approaches to the moral life
○ Legalism - there are fixed universal rules that are always to be followed
○ Antinomianism - no rules or principles, only own choices
○ Situationism (fletcher’s position) - believes absolutely in the rule of love and
people coming first, but believes that it needs to be applied situationally
The four working principles (outlines his theory and how to approach morality)
1. Pragmatism - we seek practical solutions which work to achieve success
2. Relativism - the moral act must always be relative to the needs of both the performer
and situation
3. Positivism - the belief in a god of love and to love as a main requirement of the
ethical life
4. Personalism - requires that we place people, not principles or rules or things, at the
centre of all our moral considerations
The 6 propositions
● These principles should be followed in our judgement of what to do:
○ Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good, namely love
○ The ruling norm of christian decision is love, nothing else
○ Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else
○ Love wills the neighbour’s good whether we like him or not
○ Only the end justifies the means, nothing else
○ Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively
● Fletcher is more categorical than Temple was, although Temple saw justice as love
in action, or love distributed, he was not so categorical that everything was reducible
to questions of love
● Situation ethics is a view adopted by Fletcher that there is a single, absolute principle
of love to be applied in each situation, to produce the best outcome.
● It is a theological theory - any theory in which goodness or rightness is determined by
the outcome
● Fletcher studied the thought of William Temple, his ethic was personalist and
love-centred and also very situational
● Fletcher says, “there’s only one thing that is always good and right, and that one
thing is love… love is the only universal”
● The second idea shared with Temple is the notion that justice is love in action. The
3rd common feature is the insistence of both men on personalism - the belief that all
good is always good for a person or persons, goodness must always be experienced
as good by someone
● “The morality of an action depends on the situation” - Fletcher
Fletcher's situation ethics
● There are 3 possible approaches to the moral life
○ Legalism - there are fixed universal rules that are always to be followed
○ Antinomianism - no rules or principles, only own choices
○ Situationism (fletcher’s position) - believes absolutely in the rule of love and
people coming first, but believes that it needs to be applied situationally
The four working principles (outlines his theory and how to approach morality)
1. Pragmatism - we seek practical solutions which work to achieve success
2. Relativism - the moral act must always be relative to the needs of both the performer
and situation
3. Positivism - the belief in a god of love and to love as a main requirement of the
ethical life
4. Personalism - requires that we place people, not principles or rules or things, at the
centre of all our moral considerations
The 6 propositions
● These principles should be followed in our judgement of what to do:
○ Only one ‘thing’ is intrinsically good, namely love
○ The ruling norm of christian decision is love, nothing else
○ Love and justice are the same, for justice is love distributed, nothing else
○ Love wills the neighbour’s good whether we like him or not
○ Only the end justifies the means, nothing else
○ Love’s decisions are made situationally, not prescriptively
● Fletcher is more categorical than Temple was, although Temple saw justice as love
in action, or love distributed, he was not so categorical that everything was reducible
to questions of love
