Fletcher's Four Working Principles

Definition

• The Four Working Principles are presuppositions—foundational assumptions that underpin Fletcher's Situation Ethics
• They are things you must accept as true before you can be a situationist

Fletcher's Quote

"The heart of this explanation of situation ethics lies in its six propositions… But there are a few preliminary matters to be made plain first, in the reader's interest, so he can know what presuppositions are at work."

Relationship to the Six Propositions

• Four Working Principles: Guide initial discussion into a moral situation
• Six Propositions: Govern how a decision is made once you're in the situation
• The Four Working Principles are foundational; the Six Propositions are operational

"The good, like the true, is whatever works." — Fletcher

What It Means

• A moral action must be practical—it must actually work in real life
• It's not enough for an action to be theoretically good; it must produce actual loving results

Key Points

• Focus on practical outcomes: Does the action actually produce love?
• Reject abstract theory: Fletcher rejects purely theoretical discussions about "the Good"
• Real situations matter: Ethics should focus on what works in each real-life situation, not abstract ideals
• Judge by results: An action's success or failure should be judged by its practical outcomes

Fletcher's Quote

"Philosophy is utterly useless as a way to bridge the gap between doubt and faith."

Practical Application

• Before acting, ask: "Will this actually work to produce love?"
• Debating theoretical ethics is only worthwhile if it makes a practical difference
• A debate for the sake of debating is a waste of time

NOT Philosophical Pragmatism

Fletcher uses "pragmatism" in a simple, everyday sense—not the complex philosophical theory of Dewey, Peirce, and James. He simply means: be practical, focus on what works.

"As the strategy is pragmatic, the tactics are relativistic." — Fletcher

What It Means

• There are no absolute rules except agape love itself
• What is right or wrong is relative to the situation

What Fletcher DOES Mean

• Situation-relative: What's right depends on the specific context
• Absolute rules become relative to love: Rules like "Do not kill" are relative to love
• If killing produces the most loving outcome, then "Do not kill" is false in that situation

Fletcher's Quote

Fletcher "relativizes the absolute" but "does not absolutize the relative".

What This Means:

• Relativizing the absolute: Traditional absolutes (like "never steal") become relative to love
• Not absolutizing the relative: It's NOT total relativism where anything goes
• Everything is relative to love, not relative to personal preference

What Fletcher DOES NOT Mean

• NOT relativism in the sense that individuals just choose right and wrong
• NOT moral chaos or "anything goes"
• NOT the idea that morality is purely subjective

The Safeguard

Only moral claims valid when relative to love will be justified.

"Any moral or value judgment in ethics, like a theologian's faith propositions, is a decision—not a conclusion. It is a choice, not a result reached by force of logic." — Fletcher

What It Means

• You must accept on faith that agape love is the supreme value
• This cannot be proved by reason or logic—it's a free choice

Key Points

• Faith before reason: Ethics begins with faith in love, not rational proof
• A decision, not a conclusion: Accepting love as supreme is a choice, not a logical result
• Like religious faith: It's similar to a theologian's faith in God—accepted, not proven

Why Positivism?

• No rational argument can prove you should love
• Asking "Why should I be loving?" cannot be answered by logic
• You must simply choose to accept Jesus' command to love your neighbour

NOT Logical Positivism

Fletcher's "positivism" is NOT the same as logical positivism (Ayer's verification principle). He uses the word in a different, simpler sense: positively choosing to accept a value.

Fletcher's Point

When challenged: "How can you justify that the only law is to maximize love?" Fletcher answers: "I cannot prove it logically. It is a decision, a choice, like faith."

"Love is of people, by people, and for people. Things are to be used; people are to be loved." — Fletcher

What It Means

• People come before rules
• Ethics is fundamentally about human relationships, not abstract principles

Key Points

• People at the centre: Ethics deals with human relations, so people should be at the centre
• Rules serve people: Rules exist to help people; people don't exist to serve rules
• Consider the "who": When maximising love, consider who is involved—the persons in the situation
• Things vs. people: Things are to be used; people are to be loved

Jesus' Example

"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)

Fletcher interprets this as: Jesus knew rules could be broken if it was for the good of humanity. The Sabbath rule existed to serve people's wellbeing; when it no longer served people, Jesus broke it.

Practical Application

• Ethical legalism sometimes negates the needs of persons to uphold the Law
• Fletcher is willing to set aside the Law if love's needs are better served
• A desperate mother stealing food for starving children is acting out of love towards them—personalism supports this

The Framework for Situation Ethics

Before You Enter a Moral Situation:

Accept these four presuppositions:

• Pragmatism: I will focus on what actually works to produce love
• Relativism: I accept there are no absolute rules except love itself
• Positivism: I freely choose to accept agape as my supreme value
• Personalism: I will put people before rules

Then Apply the Six Propositions

Once you've accepted these presuppositions, you can use the Six Propositions to guide your actual decision-making.

The Relationship

• Four Working Principles = foundations/presuppositions
• Six Propositions = axioms/operational guidelines
• Together they form Fletcher's "ten principles"

Easy Way to Remember:

1. Pragmatism
2. Positivism
3. Personalism
4. Relativism