SITUATIONAL ETHICS. Pts. 1-3

I was talking to one of my interns today and the conversation somehow drifted towards the topic of situational ethics.

That is,

the concept that values and judgments and decisions are best made according to the time, culture and environment, and which includes the underlying implication that modeling one’s ethics according to the situation is both nominal and understandable. (My definition).

And it occurred to me to provide ‘Doris’ an example of situational ethics.

You are, no doubt, familiar with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. It so happens that among the myriad of men, women and children who went down with the ship was a ‘Mr. Jones’ and a ‘Mrs. Smith.’ And very much like the movie character, ‘Jack’ portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, they found themselves floundering in the icy waters of the Atlantic, and were very close to hypothermia and drowning. And then it happened. An empty lifeboat floated by. The man and woman, who found themselves just feet from one another, saw the vessel at the same time, managed to grab hold, and happily climbed aboard.

Mr. Jones immediately surveyed the situation, and discovered a large wooden box in the middle of the lifeboat. Opening the box he discovered it was full of every conceivable item necessary to the preservation of life. Water, First Aid Kit, Lantern, Matches, Canned Food, and… Blankets.

Dragging a couple of blankets out of the box, he draped one of them around the shoulders of Mrs. Smith. Afterwards, he wrapped himself up in one exactly like it.

When the two were able to talk they ‘compared notes’ and were both surprised, but gratified to understand that though each had been separated from their spouses in the melee, each had seen their respective mates and children being lowered in their respective lifeboats.

Pt. 2

And though Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith lifted the oars, and made a heroic effort to remain in close proximity to the other lifeboats; but to no avail. As the minutes ticked by the lights upon the other vessels seemed to grow smaller, and the hapless duo realized their escape from almost certain death might not be all that certain at all.

As the night wore on, their little boat drifted from one ice field to another, and one wave after another splashed rudely against its sides. With the approaching dawn the air temperature rose a bit, and they broke out some saltine crackers and sardines, and commensurated about what Providence had in store for them.

Day gave way to night and night gave way to day, and Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith allowed their little vessel to drift where it would; as they had no way of determining in what direction or how far removed they were from safety.

And it was then, after nearly a week had passed, and they had by now run out of food, and most of their water,… they saw it. A small island; (one which, as it so happened, was absent from any map which existed in the early 20^th century).

Of course, Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith were heartened, and in the next couple of hours their little boat neared the rocky beach. Realizing that it was now or never, they climbed over the side and swam for it. Fortunately, they were both good swimmers and within minutes they lay gasping on the white sand.

Pt. 3

Well, Doris, I’m happy to report that this small, unchartered island offered Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith plenty of fresh water, and all the seafood they could eat; (though due to its northerly latitude no fruit bearing trees existed there).

And thus they lived for the space of a year.

(It was about this time that I moved my story towards the theme of situational ethics, and the purpose for which I chose to tell it).

And as you might imagine the duo realized that by this time they would have been given up for dead, and began to reminisce about their respective husband and wife, and their children. And as both were believers and were knowledgeable about such things, they often alluded to the Book of Genesis, and the story of Adam and Eve.

Well, given their abject hopelessness of ever leaving the island, the certainty of spending the rest of their natural days there, and the desire with which God has endowed man and beast, Mr. Jones and Mrs. Smith finally gave sway to their natural emotions,… and consummated the relationship.

And as one of my favorite songs laments,

“And so it goes.”

(And so it went).

Ultimately, our modern day Eve found herself with child, and bore a son, and subsequently bore another son, and two daughters.

Afterward:

I continued my story.

Years passed and dropped like sand through the proverbial hourglass of time, until one day some modern day Columbus discovered the island… and the people who populated it; many of whom looked surprisingly alike, and possessed similar temperaments.

Well, by now you might question the veracity of my story, and if so, you’re probably right.

Situational Ethics

It never ceases to amaze me how easily some people justify much  more casual liaisons than this, and chalk it up to Situational Ethics.


by William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "McDonald's Daily Diary." Vol. 37. Copyright pending.

If you wish to share, copy or save, please include the credit line, above