conscience Flashcards
what does the word conscience come from ?
comes from the Latin “conscientia”
pre 17th century what did conscience refer to ?
conscience referred to self-conscience and consciousness e.g. the fundamental awareness we have of ourselves as thinking, feeling individuals.
what is conscience according to Aquinas ?
is where we apply the synderesis rule (good is to be done and evil is to be avoided) to particular situations.
after the 17th century what does conscience more often refer to ?
more emphasis on individual moral and social responsibility and from this a more narrower view on conscience
what did Kohlberg believe about conscience
conscience as behaviour developed through social interaction
acquired
developed over time
innate
bourn with it
infallible
never make mistakes
fallible
may not be perfect for a particular reason
universal
everyone has this
not universal
not everyone has this
what are Kohlberg ideas ?
acquired
fallible
not universal (not everyone reaches the highest level)
what does Kohlberg use to support his ideas
The Heinz dilemma - Heinz got desperate and broke into the mans laboratory to steal the drug for his wife
how would someone act in the pre conventional stage
Heinz dilemma
wouldn’t steal because stealing is wrong and the would go to prison
how would someone act in the conventional stage
Heinz dilemma
to steal - expected by his wife, helps her but with acknowledgment he should still receive a punishment
how would someone act in the post conventional stage
Heinz dilemma
want to develop a universal rule - do not steal. tackle the injustice of the situation. there is an issue with not affording medical care.
what did Freud believe about conscience
conscience as an aspect of the super ego.
what are freuds ideas ?
acquired
fallible
not universal
what is the super ego ?
the controlling, restraining self
how is the super-ego related to conscience
is an aspect of the operation of the super ego.
the commands we have been given in our lives are internalised.
what happens if we try and escape the internalised commands ?
to try and escape them leads to feelings of guilt. we cannot escape them.
in what way does the conscience operate at an unconscious level ? (Freud)
it manifests by feelings of shame and remorse, guilt.
conscience can operate at both the conscious and unconscious levels.
what did Durkheim believe about conscience ?
conscience as sanctions or social conditioning
what are Durkheim’s ideas?
acquired
fallible
not universal (everyone experiences society differently)
non religious
what does Durkheim believe about God ?
God is society, God does not exist but is a useful idea.
what is conscience for Durkheim
conscience is a perception of loyalty to the group.
no conscience is to say they are maladjusted to society (don’t follow society’s norms)
what is collective conscience ? (Durkheim)
an act is socially bad simply because society disapproves of it
how can we explain that Durkheim’s view on conscience has an evolutionary perspective
conscience is a mechanism where the group grows stronger, it is a survival mechanism developed through people following shared moral values
what did Fromm believe about conscience
conscience as authoritarian and humanistic.
conscience comes in two forms
what are Fromm’s ideas ?
acquired
not universal
what are the two forms conscience comes in according to Fromm
authoritarian conscience and humanistic
what is authoritarian conscience
a desire to avoid being disobedient. obligation to follow rules
what is humanistic conscience
intuitive knowledge of what is human and inhuman - of what makes life flourish
what should people be aiming to do in relation to the two forms of conscience
to reject the authoritarian form and embrace the humanistic form
what did Augustine believe about conscience
conscience as the innate voice of god
what are Augustine’s ideas?
innate
universal
infallible (comes from an all powerful god)
What does Augustine mean when he says conscience is innate
Put into human minds by God. innate knowledge of gods commands
What does Augustine believe the consciences is
conscience as the voice of God
what did Aquinas believe about conscience
conscience as the god given faculty of reason
what are Aquinas ideas ?
innate
universal
infallible
what is the synderesis rule
all human beings seek to do good and avoid evil
according to Aquinas what the conscience dictates is true to the individual concerned and truth must be followed.
true or false
true
what does Butler believe about conscience
conscience as a god given faculty- inductive, reflective and autonomous
what are Butlers ideas ?
innate
fallible
not universal
what does Butler mean when he says conscience is a reflective principle
able to reflect on what we have done in the past and reflect on future
what are the two governing principles of human behaviour and what do they mean? (Butler)
prudence- natural love of self
benevolence - natural love of others
how is conscience related to the two governing principles of prudence and benevolence ? (Butler)
conscience is that part of the hierarchy of the self which judges and balances between prudence and benevolence
what do we mean to say conscience is an autonomous judge
there is no sense of approval or disproval. reward or punishment for acting morally. internal sense of right and wrong.
why must conscience be followed? (Butler)
it must be followed because it belongs to our condition of being. part of being human
what does fletcher believe about conscience
conscience as agape love making decisions situationally
what are fletchers ideas
acquired
fallible
not universal
what is conscience for fletcher
- conscience is something we do not something we have
- it is choosing what agape love demands in the present situation
- conscience is you active decision there and then
how would Aquinas approach lying?
lying is always wrong- irrational
how would Durkheim and Fromm approach lying
not good to lie if you want people and society to flourish
why is lying immoral ? (Aquinas)
it breaks the syndereses rule
which primary precept does lying undermine
living in an ordered society
why is lying wrong according to Durkheim
goes against group loyalty
why for Fromm does lying not pass the humanistic or authoritarian conscience
humanistic- violates ethical norms
authoritarian - we fear society’s disapproval
why do people feel guilty for lying according to Freud
have parent’s that do not approve of lying
Why is adultery seen as immoral for Aquinas
because it is irrational unjust and goes against primary precepts
which of the primary precepts does adultery go against according to Aquinas
living in ordered Society
What example does Aquinas give of where the conscience could be fallible with adultery
case of mistake identity - man has sex with women which he fully believes to be his wife
Does Fletcher believe adultery is immoral
adultery is not in itself immoral
how do we decide if the act of adultery is immoral according to Fletcher
by applying agape in the particular instance
what example can fletcher use ?
sacrificial adultery - guard impregnates her so she can return home
problem one
Augustine
If conscience is the voice of God (Augustine) then there is the problem of knowing whether the voice is speaking to you is genuinely the voice of God and the problem of apparently conflicting messages that different people claim to hear from God in their conscience consequently conscience seems too subjective and unreliable.
problem two
(Durkheim)
If conscience is the internalised values of Society (Durkheim) then best seems like it might be a good thing since it might unite Society however this uniting effect would apply to both good and bad societies.
problem three
Kohlberg
the account which Kohlberg gives of the conscience is very rational and some might think noble but others wonder whether many people are capable of such a rational approach.
problem four
Aquinas
If conscience is understood as reason (Aquinas) there’s a problem with the fallibility of reason. The reason can be mistaken both about the law and the facts. Aquinas admits set the conscience is influenced by the passions from by social conditioning therefore conscience can easily lead us astray
problem five
Freud
if conscience is understood as a feeling of guilt then this might cause us to modify our behaviour however there is no reason to suppose that these feelings will cause us to modify our behaviour in the right direction. furthermore sometimes people may have feelings of guilt for actions which they should not feel guilty about.
problem six and seven
general
6) the idea that conscience can be a guide to action is problematic in the light of hard determinism is an illusion that we are free to choose guided by our conscience
7) Your conscience cannot be examined by others if you give conscience as you reason for acting then no one other than yourself contract this some people may feel only moral consequences after significant
response to problem one.
If conscience is the voice of God (Augustine) then there is the problem of knowing whether the voice is speaking to you is genuinely the voice of God and the problem of apparently conflicting messages that different people claim to hear from God in their conscience consequently conscience seems too subjective and unreliable.
God does speak and what God says is ineffable however God speaks to free people. the freedom that God gives to people means that some listen others don’t some listen attentively and others don’t.
response to problem two.
If conscience is the internalised values of Society (Durkheim) then best seems like it might be a good thing since it might unite Society however this uniting effect would apply to both good and bad societies
Perhaps Durkheim would not be concerned by this problem. he might answer that the account of conscience an unattractive does not mean that it is untrue
response to problem three.
the account which Kohlberg gives of the conscience is very rational and some might think noble but others wonder whether many people are capable of such a rational approach.
Kohlberg will have to conclude but there is a lot of truth in the criticism he might argue that the reason we find his account of the conscience noble is precisely because it means conscience is a rare thing
response to problem four.
If conscience is understood as reason (Aquinas) there’s a problem with the fallibility of reason. The reason can be mistaken both about the law and the facts. Aquinas admits set the conscience is influenced by the passions from by social conditioning therefore conscience can easily lead us astray
Aquinas cannot deny any of these problems however he will insist that there are ways of managing them we can be rational and overtime improve our reasoning as a community this will give us the primary precepts. we can distinguish between real and apparent goods. we can develop virtues.
response to problem five.
if conscience is understood as a feeling of guilt then this might cause us to modify our behaviour however there is no reason to suppose that these feelings will cause us to modify our behaviour in the right direction. furthermore sometimes people may have feelings of guilt for actions which they should not feel guilty about.
The mere fact that this is disappointing or unattractive is missing the point Freud is only giving you an account of how things work according to observation. if this account is unattractive that doesn’t mean it’s untrue.
response to problem six and seven.
6) the idea that conscience can be a guide to action is problematic in the light of hard determinism is an illusion that we are free to choose guided by our conscience
7) Your conscience cannot be examined by others if you give conscience as you reason for acting then no one other than yourself contract this some people may feel only moral consequences after significant
6) hard determinism cannot be proved 100% nor can it be disproved 100% that being the case this is a problem but not one which means we had to entirely give up on conscience
7) utilitarianism presents its own significant problems. any individual could be murdered at anytime so long as the majority would be more happy if this was done
