Fletcher's Four Working Principles of Situation Ethics
Joseph Fletcher's practical decision-making framework: (1) pragmatism (consequences, not intentions, determine morality); (2) relativism (no absolute rules; all judgments relative to context); (3) positivism (faith commitments about love precede rational analysis); (4) personalism (people's concrete needs, not abstract principles, guide decisions). These principles operationalize his six propositions.
Real World
When the Church of England debated whether clergy should break confidentiality to report abuse, Fletcher's positivism and personalism were implicitly at stake: faith-rooted love for victims overrides institutional rules.
Exam Focus
Name all four principles using the acronym PRRP (Pragmatism, Relativism, Positivism, Personalism) to avoid missing one in a list question.
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