Criticisms of Situation Ethics
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 3.1.6
Criticisms of Situation Ethics
‘Do the most loving thing’ is a rule
- Fletcher stated that morality is relative and so we should not have rules that must be followed in every situation.
- However, isn’t Fletcher giving us an absolute rule in Situation Ethics?
- Fletcher says that the rule we must follow is the rule of love, so isn’t he going against his own idea that there are no universal rules?
‘Love’ is hard to define
- Some would argue that Situation Ethics allows for unloving things to be done, as people may disagree about the definition of ‘love’.
- Example: When scientists develop new medicines, they often run tests on animals.
- This has led to great suffering. In the UK, around 3 million animals are tested on each year, and approximately one animal dies every 8 seconds as a consequence of medical testing.
- However, some may argue that this is the most loving thing, as it makes the medicine safe for humans and can save their lives.
God as a source of morality
- Both Natural Moral Law and Situation Ethics are founded in Christian thought and therefore, a belief in God.
- Aquinas believed we could use reason to discover our God-given purpose and Fletcher was inspired by Jesus’ example of agape love.
Test yourself on Criticisms of Situation Ethics
Why does the rule 'do the most loving thing' cause a problem for Fletcher's Situation Ethics?
Why might some people argue that testing medicines on animals is the most loving thing to do?
What did Natural Moral Law and Situation Ethics have in common as moral theories?
Why is the word 'love' being hard to define a problem for Situation Ethics?
Select the correct statement for each pair.