situation ethics

American  

noun

1. a view of ethics that deprecates general moral principles while emphasizing the source of moral judgments in the distinctive characters of specific situations.

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Etymology

Origin of situation ethics

Translation of German situationsethik (1950)

Example Sentences

This is, in effect, a return to situation ethics.

From Salon • Mar. 2, 2014

"And what I can tell you is that when I did things that were wrong, I wasn't trapped in situation ethics, I was doing things that were wrong, and yet, I was doing them."

From Slate • Mar. 9, 2011

English classes analyze contemporary writings on violence, brotherhood, situation ethics and alienation.

From Time Magazine Archive

By stressing the demand of love, situation ethics is at once more lenient and more stringent than law morality.

From Time Magazine Archive

Throughout society, clear-cut distinctions between morally right and wrong are being replaced by situation ethics.

From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Nadin, Mihai