the selfless, unconditional love that Jesus taught through the command to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’

an American Christian theologian who developed situation ethics in the 1960s

an ethical theory which argues that the most loving action should guide decisions in each situation

Situation ethics

Religious education

The nature of human goodness

Deontology and Immanuel Kant

Teleology and utilitarianism

Virtue ethics

Suffering and compassion

In this unit pupils will use a philosophical lens to consider what we mean by good. They will examine  various ethical answers given such deontology, utilitarianism and situation ethics. They will conclude by weighing up the issue of suffering in the world.

Ethics: how do we know what is 'good'?

a love based on mutual interests and benefits

a friendly and affectionate love between friends

a selfless, unconditional love that seeks the well-being of others

Situation ethics is not deontological because it takes each {{}} into account.

because it emphasises the consequences of actions

because it is based on fixed moral principles

because it ignores the outcomes of actions

Why is situation ethics considered a teleological theory?

by following strict religious rules regardless of the situation

by considering only one's own feelings and desires

by acting based on what produces the most love for all involved

by prioritising traditional teachings over all else

How does situation ethics guide decision-making?

Identify the different actions you could take.

Calculate how much agape love would be produced by each action.

Choose the action that brings about the most agape love.

Put the stages that someone would go through when applying situation ethics in the correct order.

What is the root meaning of the word 'deon' in 'deontology'?

What is the root meaning of the word 'telos' in 'teleology'?

deontological ethics focuses on outcome and teleological ethics focuses on duty

deontological ethics prioritises duty, while teleological ethics values outcome

deontological ethics looks at compassion; teleological ethics looks at character

deontological ethics is about feelings, while teleological ethics is about laws

What is the main difference between deontological ethics and teleological ethics?

What word could we use to describe a set of circumstances or events that require a decision or action to be made?

Jesus taught his followers to 'love your __________'.

Starter Quiz

What is ethics?