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

Yet the notion that religion may help to instill better values in the U.S., after the disappointment bred by the failure of secularism and situation ethics, is not confined to clergymen.

From Time Magazine Archive

None of these views are new or wholly inaccurate, but pervasive repetition of materialism and situation ethics, churchmen argue, can be overwhelming.

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