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Ethics > conscience > Flashcards

conscience Flashcards

1
Q

how does kohlberg view conscience

A
  • as developing through social interaction
  • he developed his theory by testing out moral dilemmas on people, to establish six stages of moral development, grouped into three levels
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2
Q

what are Kohlberg’s three levels

A
  • pre-conventional level
  • conventional
  • post-conventional
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3
Q

what is kohlbergs pre conventional level and the stages associated

A
  • typical of primary school children
  • stage 1 is about obedience to socially accepted norms knowing disobedience will result in punishment
  • stage 2 individuals’ behaviour is determined by what is in their best interests
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4
Q

what is kohlbergs conventional level

A
  • typical of Society
  • stage 3 is the desire to do what will gain the approval of others
  • stage 4 is responding to what is seen as ones duty through obedience of the law
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5
Q

what is kohlbergs post conventional level

A
  • few people reach stage 6
  • stage 5 reveals an understanding of social interaction and genuine interest in welfare of others
  • stage 6 is based on respect for universal principles and the demands of the individual conscience
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6
Q

how does freud view conscience

A
  • freud distinguished between three aspects of the mind
  • id — consists of human needs and desires
  • ego - rational faculty that realises we have to take others into account and controls the id
  • super ego – the internalised voice of parental authority, continuing the role that was carried out by parents and authority. conscience is also in this part
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7
Q

how does durkheim view consciousness

A
  • social conditioning
  • he saw god as a projection if societys power and a useful tool in reinforcing the social demands made by the individuals conscience
  • he developed the idea of a collective conscience: an act is bad because society views it as such
  • he also saw conscience as a survival mechanism
    • people sticking to shared moral values leads
      to society becoming stronger
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8
Q

how did fromm view conscience

A
  • two ways conscience might be experienced
  • authoritarian conscience – internalised response based on fear to the demands of an authoritarian society. disobedience creates a guilty conscience (nazis manipulation of german people)
  • humanistic conscience understands and seeks what will lead to human and social flourishing. it isnt afraid to challenge elements of society that are destructive of human well being
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9
Q

how does schleiermacher view conscience

A
  • the innate voice of god
  • listening to conscience is hearing the voice of god whispering to us
  • because of its source it must always be obeyed without question
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10
Q

what are the 4 non religious approaches to conscience

A
  • kohlberg
  • freud
  • durkheim
  • fromm
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11
Q

how does aquinas view conscience

A
  • god given faculty of reason
  • all humans have a natural orientation towards good – synderesis rule
  • two aspects to conscience
  • conscience may be mistaken as a result of not understanding all the facts in a situation which is not blameworthy
  • conscience may also be mistaken through ignorance
  • aquinas taught that once conscience has made a judgement it must be obeyed
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12
Q

what are Aquinas’s two aspects to conscience

A
  • using practical reason to gain understanding of the primary precepts
  • then distinguishing between right and wrong and making an ethical judgement in each situation, using secondary precepts to apply to the primary ones
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13
Q

what are Aquinas’s two types of ignorance

A
  • vincible ignorance – when people dont make every effort to understand church teaching on an issue, this is a sin
  • invincible ignorance – where people have made every effort but there is some ambiguity in church teaching, this is not a sin
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14
Q

how does butler see conscience

A
  • butler viewed conscience as the god implanted faculty of moral reflection and what distinguishes humans from animals
  • he had a hierarchical view of nature
  • conscience is an autonomous judge
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15
Q

how does butler see conscience

A
  • butler viewed conscience as the god implanted faculty of moral reflection and what distinguishes humans from animals
  • he had a hierarchical view of nature
  • conscience is an autonomous judge, motivated by its internal assessment of right and wrong
  • he didnt see the issue of whether conscience might be mistaken as most people would know intuitively what was right
  • even though it might be misinformed, it must always be obeyed
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16
Q

how does fletcher view conscience

A
  • rejected all interpretations that treat it as a noun
  • conscience is a verb
  • it is what humans do when they are using the agapeic calculus to decide how love is most affirmed in each particular situation
17
Q

how does lying apply to society linked approaches to conscience

A
  • threatens the stability and flourishing of society
  • fear of punishment in an authoritarian environment might be the motive behind not telling lies
18
Q

how does lying apply to reason based approaches to conscience

A
  • for aquinas it conflicts with the synderesis rule and contravenes the primary precept of living in an ordered society however an evasive truth is sometimes allowed
  • other theories may adopt a more proportionalist approach
  • butlers reflective principle might encourage a balancing act, leading to lying being the right thing in some circumstances
19
Q

how does lying apply to voice of god approaches to conscience

A
  • would normally be in line with the ten commandments
  • for modern thinkers, its guidance might go against all accepted ethical rules
20
Q

how does lying apply to psychological approaches to conscience

A
  • lying and promise breaking would not be seen as a moral issue
  • it would be a concern only if they raised emotional issues of guilt etc
21
Q

how does lying apply to situationist approaches to conscience

A
  • there is no absolute right or wrong
  • it all depends on the agapeic calculus’ assessment of the situation
22
Q

how do society linked approaches to conscience apply to adultery

A
  • in western societies, changed views on marriage have made it more socially acceptable
  • other societies see it as a threat to the stability of society
23
Q

how do reason based approaches to conscience apply to adultery

A
  • for aquinas is conflicts with the synderesis rule and contravenes the PP of living in an ordered society
  • it is contrary to divine laws teaching on marriage and adultery
  • Aquinas’s example of marrying a widow, not knowing her husband was still alive would not be blameworthy
  • butlers intuitive conscience would reject adultery as against the bible
24
Q

how do voice of god approaches apply to adultery

A
  • would normally be in line with the ten commandments
25
Q

how do psychological approaches apply to issues of adultery

A
  • adultery would not be seen as a moral issue
  • for freud, a guilty conscience arises out of accepting social restrictions intended to control expression of the id and the resultant sexual frustration
26
Q

how do situationist approaches view the issue of adultery

A
  • there is no absolute right or wrong
27
Q

strength and weakness of society linked approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide

A

+ a collective conscience could unite society
- but this would have no value if the morality of that society was corrupt

28
Q

strength and weakness of reason based approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide

A

+ encourages an objective approach to right and wrong
- however conscience is not infallible
- emotions and social conditioning can also influence and distort it
- many people do not have the capacity for the reasoned thinking demanded by aquinas and kohlberg

29
Q

strength and weakness of voice of god approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide

A
  • this runs the risk of being subjective and unreliable
  • can we be sure that it is god speaking to us and not our unconscious desires or prejudices
30
Q

strength and weakness of psychological approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide

A
  • feeling guilty can act as a warning or a corrective
  • but it may be both subjective and unreliable; many people experience feeling guilty without good reason
31
Q

strength and weakness of situationist approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide

A
  • fletchers view of it simply as a process of decision making means it has no real significance

Ethics (7 decks)

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