situational ethics
Morality varies by circumstances
Situational ethics is the view that moral decisions should be made based on the specific circumstances rather than fixed rules.
What's right depends on context—lying might be wrong generally but justified to protect someone from harm.
The approach contrasts with absolute ethics, which holds that certain acts are always right or wrong regardless of situation.
Her situational ethics made her unpredictable in a crisis.
- contextualRelative to surrounding conditions
- moralConcerning right conduct
- relativismContext-dependent truth doctrine
- dilemmaForced choice between undesirables
- tough callDecision with no clear winner
judgment · judgment call · circumstance · real world · flexibility · conscience · pragmatic · compromise · gray area · nuance · case-by-case · consequentialism · greater good · lesser evil · expedient · justification · white lie · rationalization
- ethicsmorality, deontology, dignity, sanctity of life, utilitarianism
- dilemmasdilemma, moral dilemma, tough call, lesser evil, crossroads
- moral theologyconscience, mortal sin, venial sin, natural law, moral law
- gray areasgray areas, murky waters, fuzzy boundaries, ambiguities, fine lines
- legal necessitynecessity, legal justification, justification, legal excuse, duress
- Modern Theologyliberation theology, neo-orthodoxy, political theology, Barth, Schleiermacher
situational ethicsdeontology
Morality based on obligations
categorical imperative · objective morality · legalism · moral rigidity · black-and-white morality
situation, situational, situations, situate, situated, situating, sites, siting, ethic