ConceptsNest

  Situational ethics, or situation ethics, is a teleological and consequential theory of ethics concerned with the outcome of an action as opposed to an action being intrinsically wrong as in deontological theories. The theory was principally developed in the 1960s by the Christian Episcopal priest Joseph Fletcher. He argued that sometimes moral principles could be cast aside in certain situations if love is best being served . He believed that there are no absolute laws other than the law of love, and that all the other laws were secondary. This means that all the other laws may be broken if other courses of action would result in more love. Thus, in the case of situational ethics, the ends can justify the means. Joseph Fletcher (1905–1991), in his time, developed what he called an ethical non-system . His publication was questioned amongst the public because it legitimized the general post-war dissatisfaction with authority . The English term "situation ethics" was taken f