Does FletchersAgape mean nothing more than wanting the best for the person

involved?
+ By focusing on love the emphasis on the virtue of the acting person, the person
showing unconditional love
Virtue - Character traits
+ Love is at the heart of Christian ethics, Jesus showed us this when he disobeyed
the rule of the Sabbath to heal a sick man
''Love thy neighbour''
- The person can use sexual factors to get what they want because they get the best
result from it
- Many of the rules in the Bible are broken
- Used Biblical ideas to organise against Biblical ideas
- Fletcher argued that 'Love thy neighbour' before that comes love god If you love
God you should be prepared to Love God's commands
- Fletcher points out what he wants and not what others want. It is pretty biased
- Fletcher's agape isn't just wanting immediate effect as short-term might not be
the best, long-term is
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Rejection of Absolute rules makes Situation ethics individualistic and subjective
In society:
- Situation ethics is focused on individuals and does not consider the community or
society
- Does not consider certain groups
- Fails to consider the subjective perspective people have when making decisions.
People are concerned with their own intentions
'We must make a man morally fit to make a loving decision as morality is
subjective. Laws help solve this
Laws:
- Controversial aspect is the removal of absolute laws, meaning that justice can be
compromised and people can justify immoral behaviour. A minority may be left
unprotected
Christianity:
- Christians condemn situation ethics as it abandons all absolutes
- Fletcher would argue that it doesn't abandon all moral absolutes
- Situation ethics is effective as it holds onto love in every situation
- When faced with agonising alternatives Fletcher provides a more loving response
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Euthanasia - an introduction
Euthanasia ranges from a number of problems
- Is life sacred and given by God?
- Is euthanasia acceptable eg. A person has a severe disability?
Euthanasia - Greek for 'Thanatos' EU means good and easy or gentle. 'Thanatos'
means death
- Active voluntary euthanasia is illegal in the UK
- Non-voluntary passive euthanasia is legal in the UK
Sanctity of life and how this applies to Euthanasia
Sanctity of life - life is sacred. (sacred means holy, precious, God-given)
Strong Sanctity of life - Idea that life should never be destroyed under no
exception
Weak Sanctity of life - Exceptions to this e.g If a most loving thing is killing
then it can be allowed.
Types of Euthanasia
Euthanasia - One person kills another with the intention or allows another's death
for the other's benefit
Active euthanasia - One person brings about another's death for the second person's
benefit
Passive euthanasia - One person allows another to die, by withholding treatment or
taking away vital life-prolonging support
Voluntary - A request to e allowed to die is made by the person who completely
wishes it so
Non-voluntary - A decision is made by a second part on behalf of someone who is
unable to make that decision
Involuntary - A decision is made by a second party to impose or permit the death of
another, even though death is against the other's wishes
Suicide - One person intentionally takes their own life
Assisted suicide - One person helps another to commit suicide
Physician-assisted suicide - A qualified physician helps another to commit suicide.
Euthanasia and the Bible
''Do not murder'' - Don't murder at any cost as it leaves no room to debate, it
acts as a command. (Old Testament)
'' Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you
and who was given to you byGod? You do not belong to ourselves but to God'' - God
controls our life and only he can bring life and death, so we cannot euthanise or
support it as it would be as if we have killed a part of the Holy Spirit that is
within us. (New Testament)
''None of us lives for himself only, none of us dies for himself only. If we live,
it is for the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die'' -
We can't die as the Bible supports a strong sanctity of life with no exceptions.
(New Testament)
''The Lord said to me, ' I chose you before I gave you life and before you were
born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations'' - God gave us life, so only he
can take it away he has planned everything. (Old Testament)
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Sanctity of Life
Life is sacred: Genesis states human beings are created in God's image, implying
that there is something divine in the nature of humanity.
All lives are sacred: Each person is unique, a notion of the Sanctity of Life is
the sacred nature of the individual's life
All lives should be treated as sacred: Humans have no right to destroy what God has
created specially. Only God can through natural causes. To kill a human being is
tantamount to killing God
Criticisms of the Sanctity of Life
Ronald Dworkin (American philosopher) says;
- Life should be preserved
- Life should be of a high quality
- Asserts that humans have a natural inclination to believe that their neighbours'
lives should not be taken
- They want them to live a happy and healthy existence
- Euthanasia is a way of affirming life
- Affirms the eudaimonic quality of being alive as eudaimonia means contentment and
flourishing
- Suffering person no longer experiences that high quality of life so they don't
flourish and it would be wrong to preserve their life at all costs.