conscience Flashcards
Aquinas
all humans created with ratio because made in image of God.
Conscience innate needs instruction/training through reason. sin falling short Gods ideal thru lack of reason. moral duty to develop reason so if conscience mistaken apply moral rules so good action.not a voice of God but a desire to do well and our ration created by God. Conscience is our mind making moral decisions.
2 Descriptions conscience
syndresis- innate inclination to do good avoid evil, make a habit through reason- aware moral rules
conscienta- process forming moral judgements and applying unique situations, practice to do efficiently.
2 types of mistakes
vincible- lack of knowledge for which an individual is responsible for
invincible- lack of knoweldge for which an individual isn’t responsible for.
support Aquinas
- use reason/rational at centre better than theological
- explains diff moral views individual reasoning In conscience, Newman has a problem with this.
- explains why moral views change over time, developing of reason, Newman can’t
Critque Aquinas
- not how conscience reveal itself immediate/ intuitive not deliberate and reflective
- overly optimistic about human nature - not responsible invincible and reasoning abilities Augustine the fall
-not take into account culture and environmental factors affect moral views.
support Freud
- based on psychology, engaging empirical evidence attempts be more scientific than theology
- Freud begins with our experience of guilt, since this is how conscience initially reveals itself to us seems right to focus an explanation on this phenomenon.
-explains diff moral views shaped by different upbringing and culture, Newman can’t .
critique Freud
-empirical and scientific but research small number with psych problems can’t generalise.
-Karl Popper pseudo-science science must be able to try prove wrong. bases ideas in unconscious only revealed through psychoanalysis unfalsifiable not proper science.
- fromm , many people driven by fear/punishment of authority, not explain those who challenge it = humanitarian
Bible :
Apostles Paul- Gentiles ot received Old Testament laws how will they know what right and wrong. they have conscience equivalent to Gods laws written on their hearts. but warns can damage it by persistently not listening to it.
Newman
conscience = voice of God
experience of conscious as much part of our psychology as memory, imagination, odd to deny existence.
pre-conditioned, without it morality doesn’t exist.
authoritative- doesn’t just offer advice, needs to be obeyed otherwise feel guilt/shame
these feelings imply higher/supreme judge who can instill fear/ inflict punishment.
genetic predisposition
humans who cooperate and help other more likely to survive and therefore pass on more moral genes than selfish genes.over generations nature effectively selected those with a positive moral attitude
conscience is an umbrella term
rely on existence of God if real thing for aquinas and Newman.
conscience can be result of evolution just like it can account for memory.
Conscience is a real thing
Aquinas - part human nature, reason given by God as made in in image
newman strage deny existence exp like memory/ imagination
Fromm
2 consciences
authoritarian = internalise fear inner voice becomes authority , obey whether good/bad/present or not.
good auth= security/wellbeing
bad auth=obedience supreme moral state, fear punishment overrides all feelings
Humanitarian=own inner voice reaction to how well were functioning in life. our reaction to our own behaviour.
support Fromm
-correct conscience instinctive subconscious reaction auth. explains unreasonable things- nazis.
-explains why some people don’t follow authority and diff moral views - upbringing/society.
Weakness Fromm
humanistic - reflective access attitudes. conscience isn’t exp like that more intuitive/immediate.
