flink@umcp-cs.UUCP (06/09/84)
You know, with all this ranting and raving for and against "situation ethics", you'd think that somebody would have told us what they were talking about! As far as I know, the term was coined by Joseph Fletcher, who wrote a book I haven't read. If I understand it aright the idea was supposed to be that you couldn't decide what was right until you were in the situation. In particular, any principles or rules are supposed to be infinitely malleable. What nonsense. I think we've been presented with a false dilemma: "absolute moral rules" or "situation ethics". I think that "absolute moral rules" is a straw man set up by the situation-ers. Anyone who defends that straw man is walking into a trap. And what a shame. Situation ethics isn't even woth a response. --The aspiring iconclast, Paul Torek, umcp-cs!flink
pmd@cbscc.UUCP (Paul Dubuc) (06/11/84)
Joseph Fletcher's Situation Ethics did have one absolute: Love.
In a given situation the more loving way is the right way. The
problem with that rule is that it essentially lacks real content.
One cannot know in advance of the situation what "love" entails.
(A legislators nightmare.)
On the side of absolute value systems, there are different variations.
Norman Geisler outlines three biblically based ones in his book
"Options in Contemporary Christian Ethics" (Baker). They are called
"Unqualified Absolutism", "Qualified Absolutism", and "Graded Absolutism".
Geisler defends that latter as being the most biblical and workable
system and I think it is the one adhered to by a great many evangelical
and fundamentalist Christians (whether they call it by name or not).
Yet the idea many others have of an absolute value system is the first
form (propounded by Augustine).
Paul Torek is right. Absolutism (the popular understanding of it) and
Situationism are false alternatives; if only because there is more than
one brand of Absolutism.
--
Paul Dubuc {cbosgd, ihnp4} !cbscc!pmd
"The true light that enlightens every man was coming
into the world..." (John 1:9)