Conscience Flashcards
What evidence for conscience is there in the bible?
Jesus taught his followers to have a pure heart…
God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God. 1 John 3:21
Paul’s analysis of conscience as universal law…
When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God’s yes and no, right and wrong. (Romans 2:14,15, The Message).
What is the highest value in Aquinas’ opinion….quotes
“Reason in man is rather like God in the world.”
“To disparage the dictate of reason is equivalent to condemning the command of God.”
How did Aquinas not agree with Augustine?
He believed that there was worth to the synderesis rule, that the fall of mankind did not mean we could only be moral when looking at the scripture and following its rules.
Aquinas saw morality as a binding feature.
How did Aquinas believe that we acquired our morality?
Using practical reason, through reflection on human nature, can determine primary moral principles (which he called the ‘Primary Precepts’). Our ‘conscience’ then derives secondary principles (‘Secondary Precepts’) which are applied. As we practice balancing our needs against the needs of others, we develop Prudence/Ratio which connects us in with the divine truth of the universe.
We should always follow the natural and divine law over human law however, as these are closer to God.
What is the synderesis?
an innate knowledge of human nature and primary precepts through practical reason (knowing what is right and wrong)
What is conscientia
conscienc… - IA - in action
deriving secondary precepts, and applying them
What is prudence?
the virtue of right-reasoning in moral matters, balancing ours and others’ needs
What is invincible ignorance?
When you do a moral wrong because you were ignorant and it was not your fault. You did not have the necessary information to make a more informed moral decision or you ave chosen the apparent over the real goods.
eg. operating on someone not knowing they are allergic to…latex and they die.
What is vincible ignorance?
Where you knowingly do something morally wrong and it is, therefore, your fault.
Explain the applied invincible/vincible scenario of a homeless person.
For example, if I give money to a man who is begging on the streets, I have good intentions, but my actions are actually unhelpful. If I had considered my actions carefully, I would have seen that I wasn’t helping him to improve his situation - if anything, my actions would keep him on the streets longer. I erred ‘vincibly’, as I would have done differently if I’d thought about it.
Imagine if I’d given the money instead to a homeless charity, who would be able to help this man to find accommodation, help conquering his addictions etc. A much better thing to do. However, I did not know that workers at this charity were abusing the homeless people in their care. Supporting the charity was actually the wrong thing to do, but I couldn’t have known this - I erred or got it wrong ‘invincibly’ - it wasn’t my fault.
How is the process of guilt not central to Aquina’s model of conscience?
It is the reasoning behind the action (what makes it vincible and invincible) that matters, not the feeling of guilt that we get after we act.
How does Freud explore conscience?
based in the Superego and develops by the age of 5 after morals become internalised from parents and society
this was interalised through the process of operant conditioning (later described by Skinner) and any actions out of the line with the supergo lead to guilt
this sense of guilt stops us from taking immoral actions
Compare Aquinas and Freud’s theory of conscience.
Aquinas: - morality comes from God - not science based - requires free will - unfalsifiable - optimistic about humanity - credited by the catholic church - builds an absolute outline for laws Freud: - morality comes from society and our parents (anthropocentric) - science based - hard determinism - unfalsifiable - pessimistic about humanity - largely discredited in scientific circles - has no morally foundation for laws
Quote from Freud about conscience?
“observes the ego, gives it orders judges it and threatens it with punishment, exactly like the parent who places it takes”
Short summary of what Piaget said about conscience?
(alt psych perspective)
Essentially morallity moves from externally to internally determined.
Heteronomous morality (5-9) - child's morality comes from society, parents, authorities Autonomous morality (10+) - develops a personal code of morality that they act on
Short summary of Butler?
(alt religious perspective)
Where humans differ from animals is our capacity to reflect on our actions. This is the basis of Joseph Butler’s position and this capacity is God-given. Butler considered conscience to be a process of intuitive judgement against conflicting desires, rather than a rational reflection. This is distinct from a direct instruction from God, as we are required to make our own judgement. Conscience does not require us to consult it as it “magisterially exerts itself” and has the final say in moral decisions. The conscience is what distinguishes us from animals and makes us distinctly human in Butler’s thinking. This position is seen often in the media where those who ignore their consciences, such as orchestrators of genocides, are described as being less than human.
What are the issues and strengths of Freud?
S:
- morals are subjective becuase we all have different experiences
- blames the environment not the individual (parents and society)
C:
- what about atypical families? states that they will have immoral children
- research was unscientific and biased
- we have no free will if this is true (why are people able to change morally then after 5?)
- this breaks down te legal system, are our parents responsible for our crimes?
What is an example of Jesus bypassing human law in favour of the divine?
In the act of stopping the adulturous woman being stones to death. Circumventing the human and natural laws of adltury.
In what circumstances did Aquinas see that conscience might be more likely to be ignored?
Due to any form of social disorder or conformity eg. the holocaust
What is the analogy for the conscience? (Aqinas)
Synderisis = safe Prudence/ratio = the key to the safe Consciencia = the action of the individual
Essentially we will always do good before evil but we must also learn to balance this with others and have a lack of selfishness. And when we act on a moral basis, we act on these 2 factors.
