About Joseph Fletcher & Situation Ethics
Joseph Fletcher was an American professor who founded the theory of Situation Ethics in the 1960s. He was a pioneer in bioethics and was involved in the areas of abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and cloning. Fletcher proposed a theory completely different to one of Kant or Bentham's, which were set rules that they believed could be applied in any situation. Fletcher disagreed with this view, he thought the morality of an action depended on the situation, and he invented the theory of Situation Ethics, a set of general principles which could apply differently in different situations. There are no fixed rules about numbers or about the sanctity of life, lie many of the other theories. For example, a Kantian's views on abortion will be different to a Situation Ethicist, as a Kantian would argue it is always wrong, but a Situation Ethicist would argue it depends on the mother's situation. Joseph Fletcher was also a priest, and also founded Situation Ethics on Christian morals, but he later renounced his belief in God, and became an atheist.
Situation Ethics on the Robin Hood problem
Fletcher's views would be different to both Bentham and Kant's. Fletcher argues the only way of deciding if the action is moral or immoral, is by looking at the circumstances and all the variables. Situation Ethicists would look at who the man robbed from, who the children where, how desperate the money was needed and so on. He would then weigh all these against each other and then come to a form final decision on the matter. This meaning that the answer could vary, maybe if he robbed from different people or at a different time the outcome could've been different.