ABSTRACT

The problems associated with correctness, objectivity and legality of morality, have remained a continued engagement among ethicists, regarding what morality authority and decision making. And Joseph Fletcher happens to be one of such scholars who, in arguing against moral objectivity in decision making introduced a middle course kind of ethics, known as situationism, as a mediation for ethical legalism. This paper is poised to critically examine Fletcher’s situationism, a response to universalist or absolute approach to the question of morality. It will adopt the analytic and expository methods in answering some of the questions this paper shall be preoccupied with like, what is situationism? What are the fundamental principles of situation ethics? What are the types of moral decision making? How can we apply situation ethics to contemporary issues such as the morality of abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy, and terrorism among others? The relevance of this study is that, it shows that some actions are not right or wrong in themselves, but situations determine their rightness or wrongness of actions. In other words, it treats moral actions differently and uniquely. Consequently, Fletcher’s situationism is teleological and gives preference to consequences as a determinant factor of moral decision making. Also, this paper also attempts some criticisms to Fletcher’s idea of situationism. :