conscience Flashcards
how does kohlberg view conscience
- 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
what are Kohlberg’s three levels
- pre-conventional level
- conventional
- post-conventional
what is kohlbergs pre conventional level and the stages associated
- 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
what is kohlbergs conventional level
- 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
what is kohlbergs post conventional level
- 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
how does freud view conscience
- 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
how does durkheim view consciousness
- 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
- people sticking to shared moral values leads
how did fromm view conscience
- 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
how does schleiermacher view conscience
- 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
what are the 4 non religious approaches to conscience
- kohlberg
- freud
- durkheim
- fromm
how does aquinas view conscience
- 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
what are Aquinas’s two aspects to conscience
- 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
what are Aquinas’s two types of ignorance
- 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
how does butler see conscience
- 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
how does butler see conscience
- 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
how does fletcher view conscience
- 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
how does lying apply to society linked approaches to conscience
- threatens the stability and flourishing of society
- fear of punishment in an authoritarian environment might be the motive behind not telling lies
how does lying apply to reason based approaches to conscience
- 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
how does lying apply to voice of god approaches to conscience
- would normally be in line with the ten commandments
- for modern thinkers, its guidance might go against all accepted ethical rules
how does lying apply to psychological approaches to conscience
- 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
how does lying apply to situationist approaches to conscience
- there is no absolute right or wrong
- it all depends on the agapeic calculus’ assessment of the situation
how do society linked approaches to conscience apply to adultery
- 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
how do reason based approaches to conscience apply to adultery
- 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
how do voice of god approaches apply to adultery
- would normally be in line with the ten commandments
how do psychological approaches apply to issues of adultery
- 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
how do situationist approaches view the issue of adultery
- there is no absolute right or wrong
strength and weakness of society linked approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide
+ a collective conscience could unite society
- but this would have no value if the morality of that society was corrupt
strength and weakness of reason based approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide
+ 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
strength and weakness of voice of god approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide
- 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
strength and weakness of psychological approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide
- 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
strength and weakness of situationist approaches to conscience as having value as a moral guide
- fletchers view of it simply as a process of decision making means it has no real significance
