Conscience Flashcards
Who are the key philosophers for Conscience
Aquinas & Freud
What approach does Aquinas take for Conscience
Theological approach
What is the Theological approach
A religious approach
What does Freud say about religion
He claims religion is a mental illness and has a secular view
What does Fletcher say about Conscience
Fletcher does not believe that conscience is exists, in the sense that it is a function; not a faculty
What were Fletcher’s Six Fundamental Principles
Justice is love distributed
Ends justify the means
Neighbours good is will by love (love thy neighbour)
Norm of Christian love
Intrinsically, love is the only absolute
Situationally love is acted out, not prescriptively
What is conscience considered as in Islam
In Islam conscience is considered surrendering to the will of Allah
What do Sufi Muslims believe about conscience
Sufi Muslims believe people have an individual awareness of conscience that gets your soul ready for illumination
What do Christians believe about conscience
Christians believe our conscience is the voice of God speaking to us
What does Butler say about Conscience
Conscience is a guide given by God but it’s still intuitive and pushes us to benevolence
What is Butler’s approach
Theological
Who does Butler agree with about Conscience
He agrees with Aquinas that conscience determines and judges rightness and wrongness of actions
What did Newman believe about Conscience
Newman believed conscience was the Voice of God
Which two philosophers believed in Practical Reason
Aquinas & Aristotle
What is Practical Reason also known as
Prudence
What types of reasoning behind Conscience does Aquinas believe in
Aquinas believes in both religious and practical reasoning behind conscience
What did Fletcher say about Conscience
‘Function not a faculty’ and “There is no conscience, ‘conscience’ is merely a word for our attempts to make decisions creatively, constructively, fittingly”
What does Fletcher’s view of Conscience link to
Fletcher’s views of conscience link to his situational views due to the fact that is flexible and able to be used in each situation
What does Aquinas believe in
Practica Ratio
What does Practica Ratio state about reason
Ratio is reason placed in everyone by God
What does Aquinas state in Summa Theologica
‘Properly speaking, conscience is not a power, but an act… The word conscience comes from ‘cum alio scientia’, that is knowledge applied to an individual case… conscience is ant act’
What does Freud’s Theory of Religion say about religion
Describes religion as an illusion
What does Freud think all humans are driven by
Think all humans are driven by libedo
What link did Freud make to Neurosis through Religion
He noticed similarities in patients and the source of their obsession and religious people and object of their worship highly specific ritual behaviour (e.g. OCD)
What does the Oedipus Complex represent
The idea of repression of conflict and guilt
What does the Oedipus Complex say about sexual trauma and religion
Buried trauma can reappear in the form of religion
Who created the Primal Horde Theory
Freud
What does the Oedipus Complex say about unconscious sexual desire
This is typically an unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex and the wish to exclude the parent of the same sex
Why does Freud say unconscious sexual desires are often repressed
These feelings are often repressed and made unconscious because of the fear of punishment by the parents of the same sex
What are some examples of the Oedipus Complex
A son being possessive of his mother and telling his father not to touch her
A child who insists on sleeping in between parents
A daughter declaring she wants to marry her father when she grows up
What book did Darwin write in 1859
Origin of Species
What does Darwin say in Origin of Species 1859 about reproduction
Individuals with characteristics most suited to their environment have a higher chance of survival and more chances to reproduce
Which philosopher came up with the Primal Horde Theory
Freud
Define Totem
A totem is passed down hereditary and is a symbol of human’s affiliation with animals/plants/inanimate objects
Define Taboo
A strong unconscious inclination
Define Paternal Authority
The theory is that a child forms a strong attachment with a parent of the opposite sex and has feelings of competition towards their same-sex parent
Define Monopolise
To obtain exclusive possession or control
Who first established proposals for the Primal Horde Theory
Charles Darwin
How does the Primal Horde Theory links back to the Oedipus Complex in relation to neurosis
The neurosis behind the Primal Horde Theory links back to the Oedipus Complex and its belief that the complex is said to be the root of religious belief
What did Freud state people had to understand the process of in order to understand the Oedipus Complex
They must understand the processes behind the Primal Horde Theory
What does Animism suggest about feelings of guilt
When suffering extreme guilt, the mind’s defence is to create idols (investing objects with spirits)
What is the Oedipus Complex is named after
The Oedipus Complex is named after the mythical Oedipus, King of Thebes
What was prophesied in Oedipus, King of Thebes
It was prophesied that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother
How does Freud explain the development of monotheism
He refers back to childhood experiences such as: being dependent on our fathers and how despite he’s distant he still remains powerful and a figure of authority
What does the ‘Id’ drive
Food, aggression & sex
What does Freud say about the stages of sexual drive
A child is sexually driven goes through 3 stages
What is this sexual drive also known as
Psycosexual development
What are the three development stages that a child goes through
Oral Stage: love of being nursed at the breast
Anal Stage: love of being able to control bowels
Phallic Stage: fascinated by sexual organs
What does Freud say Ego does to the Superego
Supergo punishes the ego with feelings of guilt
What does Freud say the clash between the ‘Id’ ‘Ego’ and ‘Superego’ leads to
The clash between the ‘Id’ ‘Ego’ and ‘Superego’ leads to conscience and guilt
What are Freud’s Four Stages of Conscience
The world restricts children’s desires
Humans create ego
Superego internalises anger & disapproval of others
The guilty conscience is created
What was The Milgram Experiment
The Milgram experiment is a famous psychological study exploring the willingness of individuals to follow the orders of authorities when those orders conflict with the individual’s own moral judgement
