A Level: AQA • CCEA • Edexcel • OCR • WJEC

A detailed investigation into Joseph Fletcher's key ideas on situation ethics, including what they are, how they work, and why they're important. This lesson provides a brief biography of Joseph Fletcher and covers the text of Situation Ethics: The New Morality. This includes discussion of legalism, antinomianism, and situationism (i.e. situation ethics), the four working principles, conscience, the six propositions, and agape (i.e. neighbourly love).

Situation Ethics: The New Morality permanently changed the shape of Christian ethics. Although thinkers like John Robinson and C. S. Lewis set the stage for radically rethinking Christian ethics, it was Joseph Fletcher who trod the boards. Situation Ethics: The New Morality provided a systematic account of situationism, clearly explaining how it moderates the extremist tendencies of legalism and antinomianism. It's obligatory reading for budding ethicists; the original text is available here with the addition of an excellent introduction from James Childress, professor of ethics at the University of Virginia.