Examine what is meant by 'situation ethics'.

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Ellen Hooper

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Examine what is meant by ‘situation ethics’.

Situation ethics was developed by an Anglican theologian Joseph Fletcher as a result of his critique of legalism and antinomianism. Legalism is the idea that there are fixed moral laws which are to be obeyed at all times. Antinomianism is the idea that there are no fixed moral principles but that one acts morally spontaneously.  Fletcher rejects legalism because it cannot accommodate ‘exceptions to the rule’. If you reject one aspect of the law you surely reject it all. He also rejects antinomianism on the bases of the idea, which argues that reality is composed of singular events and moments in time.

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Fletcher argued that it is in fact the individual and the situation that is the most important thing as it is the application of an ethical principle that makes an action good or evil. There can be no ‘absolutes’ as each situation has the potential to bring about exceptions to the rule. Fletcher believed that the only law to be followed is the law of love; an example of this is the Christian teachings of ‘love thy neighbour as you love yourself’ (Matthew 22:39).

Fletchers view was that it is important to take each situation and act in ...

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