ABSTRACT
Situationism or Situation Ethics, a current of ethical thought that has mainly emerged in a Christian – both Catholic and Protestant – context, is opposed, on the face of it, primarily to 'Legalism' and may so far be represented as a move towards, or a position approaching, or again a moderate form of, 'Antinomianism'. Situationism, so far it expects the agent to deal with every 'unique' situation 'rationally on its merits' – not from caprice, blind sentimental impulse, flash-like 'intuition' – comes very close to prudentialism. The authors locate Situation Ethics in the closet vicinity of Utilitarianism, with which Prudentialism displays an equally indubitable but a more remote and qualified parentage. Existentialist and Situationist attitudes will easily interfuse and authors are often reminded by situationist utterances of existentialist motifs and inversely; existentialism has surely exercised a strong impact on Situation Ethics.
