1. Situation Ethics – Fletcher’s 10 Principles
By the end of this lesson you will have:
Re-capped what you know about Situation Ethics so far
Learnt the 10 principles in Fletcher’s situation ethics
Evaluated S.E as an ethical theory

2. Spec Check
AO1
AO2
Fletcher’s Situation Ethics – The principles as a means of assessing morality
The degree to which agape is the only intrinsic good
Whether SE promotes injustice
Whether SE promotes immoral behaviour
Whether agape should replace religious rules

3. Re-Cap 1. What type of ethical theory is S.E?
2. Which scholar wrote ‘shaking of the foundations’ in 1950?
3. What three approaches to ethics did Joseph Fletcher identify?
4. How does Luke 10 justify Situation Ethics?
5. How does Fletcher believe we should see the conscience?

4. Joseph Fletcher 20th Century Scholar Wrote ‘Situation Ethics’
An Episcopalian Christian
Devised 10 principles as a means of assessing morality

5. 10 Principles
Fletcher devised 4 working principles and 6 fundamental principles
These principles help followers of Situation Ethics know how to behave in certain situations
The main principle, or ‘boss’ principle is agape, and the 10 principles explain how to uphold the one rule of ‘agape’

6. 10 Principles
TASK: Individually, read the four working principles o page 184 of the textbook
Summarise each working principle in one sentence in your own words
Pragmatism
Positivism
Relativism
Personalism

7. 10 Principles TASK: Get into groups of four
Re-read the story on Savitaa’s tragic death in your booklets. Using the 4 working and 6 fundamental principles on page 185 of your textbooks, work through each principle to see whether situation ethics would have allowed Savitaa an abortion.
We will go through the answers as a class

8. 10 Principles How can we remember the 6 fundamental principles?
1. Only love is intrinsically good; nothing else
2. The ruling norm of any Christian decision making is love
3. Love and justice are the same for love is justice distributed
4. Love will’s the neighbours good whether you like him or not
5. Only the end justifies the means
6. Love’s decisions are made situationally and not prescriptively

9. Evaluation – AO2 The degree to which agape is the only intrinsic good
Whether SE promotes injustice
Whether SE promotes immoral behaviour
Whether agape should replace religious rules
TASK: We will work through one of these questions as a class using the AO2 grid framework. You will then complete your own grid framework on another question