Situational Ethics

A forbidden term.

In the antiquated sense, "situational ethics" denotes the idea that different ethical principles apply to different circumstances, and that there are no universally applicable moral rules, except, of course, for the rule that says there are no such rules. As such, the moral philosophy of "situational ethics" is not purely relative (so a situational ethicist is not, per se, a moral relativist), but only situationally so. Thus, instead of saying "Don't impose your morality on me," a situational ethicist will claim "that principle doesn't apply to me," or "doesn't apply to me in this situation."