SEXUAL ETHICS
OCR Religious Studies Religion and Ethics
4 ESSAYS
, Critically assess the claim that situation ethics provides the best approach to sexual
ethics (40)
Intro:
De facto/consequentialist/Teleological- from the ancient Greek 'telos' meaning end (goal) or purpose concerned with the end
result
Relative ethical theory set out in "Situation Ethics: The New Morality" published 1966
Middle way between legalism and antinomianism based on unconditional love (agape) to be applied in every moral decision
to produce the most loving outcome
"Love thy Neighbour as Thyself"- Gospel of Matthew- New Testament- sel ess love
Theory is impractical, key term agape is too vague and the theory has the same aws act utilitarianism
P1:
P: Does not provide the best approach to sexual ethics because it is impossible to predict the consequences of sexual actions
E: Teleological aspect urges people to make decisions on what will produce the most loving outcome- impractical.
Six propositions: 'Only the end justi es the means; nothing else'
Actions acquire moral status as a means to an end- when making a moral decision one must consider the most loving
consequences that will justify that action
Immanuel Kant: it is impossible to know what the unintended consequences of an action will be-a deontological approach
would avoid this issue
E.g. someone may feel like an object as a result of sex if they are discarded afterwards by the other person- impossible to
know what consequence of premarital sex will be
Therefore Kantian Ethics is superior because it is deontological- full reciprocal sexual relations can only happen within the
framework of marriage. Guidance is clear and the same for everybody.
through its emphasis on pragmatism - the rst of the four working principles - and relativism - the second of the four
working principles - situation ethics is unable to provide clear guidelines as to what is good, bad, right or wrong in the area
of sexual ethics e.g. it gives no guidance against abuse of power in sexual relationships
Same issue as Bentham's Act Utilitarianism- impossible to predict consequences. Agapeic calculus.
R:
Acting for the sake of duty may lead to an appalling act taking place. It used to be illegal to be homosexual but killing Alan
Turing is not the most loving thing- need exible theory that bypasses the law. Kant's universalizability against
homosexuality
Fletcher- acting on whatever will produce most loving result is only way to act morally. i.e. Mrs Bergmeier- imprisoned by
Russians at the end of WWII and separated from her husband and children. Prisoners only released if ill or pregnant.
Conceived a child with a guard and was packed off home to Germany- these actions broke the second formulation of the
categorical imperative (using the guard as a means to an end) but served a loving end- Kantian ethics has categorical
imperative- not possible
E:
Conversely- Barclay- Fletcher uses exceptional/extreme circumstances- a straw man argument
We cannot make moral decisions based on outcomes that are impossible to predict
P2:
P: Does not provide the best approach to sexual ethics because agape is too vague
E:
Moral decisions depend on what best serves agape love "the ruling Christian norm in decision making is love; nothing else"-
one of the Six propositions
Dif cult to know what the most loving thing to do is- can be misused and misapplied in the area of sexual ethics
Fletcher: humans should be sel ess in their decisions, just like Jesus described in the parable of the Good Samaritan, where
the Samaritan helped his enemy, but the vagueness of agape allows this to be interpreted sel shly
E.g. it allows for self-deception and exploitation (someone claiming that their action is loving when it is actually self-
serving)- someone can justify pursuing another person as a sexual object as something which will produce agape when in
reality it may only suit that person themselves
Turns into something not necessarily moral
Kant avoids this with his 2nd formulation of the C.I
Richard Mouw- there are other principles to be followed in the Bible other than "Loving thy neighbour" that involve
listening to whole of God's revelation and taking Bible seriously that Fletcher seems to neglect. i.e. Thou shalt not commit
adultery- the Ten Commandments.
Natural Law: provides clear guidance through its primary precepts e.g. reproduction of the species. Clear that an act of pre-
marital sex is morally wrong. Apparent good- leads to pleasure which isn't a moral agents God given purpose. BUT only a
helpful approach if you are Catholic.
R: Some say the centrality of love is the heart of the Christian message and sacri cial love is the most important of the
examples Jesus sets people.
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OCR Religious Studies Religion and Ethics
4 ESSAYS
, Critically assess the claim that situation ethics provides the best approach to sexual
ethics (40)
Intro:
De facto/consequentialist/Teleological- from the ancient Greek 'telos' meaning end (goal) or purpose concerned with the end
result
Relative ethical theory set out in "Situation Ethics: The New Morality" published 1966
Middle way between legalism and antinomianism based on unconditional love (agape) to be applied in every moral decision
to produce the most loving outcome
"Love thy Neighbour as Thyself"- Gospel of Matthew- New Testament- sel ess love
Theory is impractical, key term agape is too vague and the theory has the same aws act utilitarianism
P1:
P: Does not provide the best approach to sexual ethics because it is impossible to predict the consequences of sexual actions
E: Teleological aspect urges people to make decisions on what will produce the most loving outcome- impractical.
Six propositions: 'Only the end justi es the means; nothing else'
Actions acquire moral status as a means to an end- when making a moral decision one must consider the most loving
consequences that will justify that action
Immanuel Kant: it is impossible to know what the unintended consequences of an action will be-a deontological approach
would avoid this issue
E.g. someone may feel like an object as a result of sex if they are discarded afterwards by the other person- impossible to
know what consequence of premarital sex will be
Therefore Kantian Ethics is superior because it is deontological- full reciprocal sexual relations can only happen within the
framework of marriage. Guidance is clear and the same for everybody.
through its emphasis on pragmatism - the rst of the four working principles - and relativism - the second of the four
working principles - situation ethics is unable to provide clear guidelines as to what is good, bad, right or wrong in the area
of sexual ethics e.g. it gives no guidance against abuse of power in sexual relationships
Same issue as Bentham's Act Utilitarianism- impossible to predict consequences. Agapeic calculus.
R:
Acting for the sake of duty may lead to an appalling act taking place. It used to be illegal to be homosexual but killing Alan
Turing is not the most loving thing- need exible theory that bypasses the law. Kant's universalizability against
homosexuality
Fletcher- acting on whatever will produce most loving result is only way to act morally. i.e. Mrs Bergmeier- imprisoned by
Russians at the end of WWII and separated from her husband and children. Prisoners only released if ill or pregnant.
Conceived a child with a guard and was packed off home to Germany- these actions broke the second formulation of the
categorical imperative (using the guard as a means to an end) but served a loving end- Kantian ethics has categorical
imperative- not possible
E:
Conversely- Barclay- Fletcher uses exceptional/extreme circumstances- a straw man argument
We cannot make moral decisions based on outcomes that are impossible to predict
P2:
P: Does not provide the best approach to sexual ethics because agape is too vague
E:
Moral decisions depend on what best serves agape love "the ruling Christian norm in decision making is love; nothing else"-
one of the Six propositions
Dif cult to know what the most loving thing to do is- can be misused and misapplied in the area of sexual ethics
Fletcher: humans should be sel ess in their decisions, just like Jesus described in the parable of the Good Samaritan, where
the Samaritan helped his enemy, but the vagueness of agape allows this to be interpreted sel shly
E.g. it allows for self-deception and exploitation (someone claiming that their action is loving when it is actually self-
serving)- someone can justify pursuing another person as a sexual object as something which will produce agape when in
reality it may only suit that person themselves
Turns into something not necessarily moral
Kant avoids this with his 2nd formulation of the C.I
Richard Mouw- there are other principles to be followed in the Bible other than "Loving thy neighbour" that involve
listening to whole of God's revelation and taking Bible seriously that Fletcher seems to neglect. i.e. Thou shalt not commit
adultery- the Ten Commandments.
Natural Law: provides clear guidance through its primary precepts e.g. reproduction of the species. Clear that an act of pre-
marital sex is morally wrong. Apparent good- leads to pleasure which isn't a moral agents God given purpose. BUT only a
helpful approach if you are Catholic.
R: Some say the centrality of love is the heart of the Christian message and sacri cial love is the most important of the
examples Jesus sets people.
fi
fl fi flfi fl flfi fi
