conscience Flashcards
whats the natural law theory
god has designed moral law into human nature so we are naturally inclined to certain moral behaviours
whats the role of synderesis
the habit or ability of reason to discover foundational first principles of gods natural moral law
whats the synderesis rule
good is what all things seek ads their end goal
whats does synderesis rule mean
that human nature has an innate orientation to the good
some of primary precepts
worship god
-live in orderly society
-educate
-preserve life
how are primary precepts applied to actions
through act called conscientiawhat
whats the judgment we acquire from primary precepts
secondary precepts
what does conscience use
ration to understand and apply gods natural law
3 ways conscience follows application of our knowledge of naturl law to out moral actions
-witness- knowing whether we have done something or not
-bind and incite- through conscience we judge something should be done or not
-accuse- torment- rebuke- by conscience we judge something done is well or ill
how does the conscience cause guilt for aquinas
if we have done something wrong our conscience will accuse and rebuke us- causing guilt
what does mistaken in conscientia result from
original sin
-corrupt culture
-human reason fallible so conscience fallible
apparent good
only appear good to someone engaged in faulty reasoning
real goods
actions good because someones engaged in true reasoning
how is the conscience always binding
if you choose to act against your conscience you are choosing to do something you believe to be evil
what does invincible ignorance involve
someone could have not known better and cannot be blamed for their actions
vincible ignorance
someone could have known better and is to blame for their actions
aquinas to optimistic as weakness
human nature not as positive as he thinks
-slavery/ nazism
-if we have orientation to good we shouldnt be acting evil
defense of aquinas being to optimistic about human nature
-aquinas only says humans have an orientation towards good
-he doesnt say humans are doing more good than evil
descriptive moral revelavism as weakness for aquinas
there are different moral beliefs across cultures
-fletcher said proof we dont have god given reason
-freud said society which conditions moral views
whats decriptive moral relativism
different moral beliefs across cultures we know because of modern anthropology
defense of aquinas against descriptive moral relatavism
between differences theres not rules about killing or stealing
-moral thinkers from different cultures have come up with different golden rules
alternative explanation to descriptive moral relevatism
-cross culture similarities might have reusulted from biologicallt evolved morality rather than one designed by god
further alternative view to descriptive moral relevatism
might be from basic requirment for society to function
-if anyone could steak or kill for no reason society wouldnt function
-might create existential pressure in moral thinkers which leads to golden rules developed
whats the id
our unconscious animalistic desires
whats the ego
our conscious decision making self
super ego
part of us that stores values we introjected from authority figures during childhood and is source of moral feelings
what happens when desire bubbles up
from id to ego
-super ego tells us whether values of our society allow it
-if allowed we can act and if not we have supressed desires
ethical implications of super ego from society
not from god but what society wants from us
-society may be good or bad so conscience not best guide
-may not even be good or bad if morality from conditioning of societies on its members
who was freud influenced by
neitzche
what does nietzche believe about the conscious mind
was developed by neccesity as humans changed from hunter-gathers to farmers
-natural animal instincts were of less use in new society
-conscience emerged as space in between instincts and outside world as mediator to decide whats good and not
stages of freuds psychosexual development
oral stage- mouth-bab
-anal stage- stool
-phallic stage -complex
latency stage -puberty
matural genital stage- control and marriage
peppers criticism of freud
-theory unfalsifiable
not true empiricism
piaget defense of freud not being scientific
-studied children before eleven
-kids have heternonmous morality and listen to parents
-when older- autonomous morality develops
why is religion bad for freud
encourages repression
-great at taming asocial instincts
-society would be better of outgrowing religion
how does freud evaluate doctrines and religion
-all about control
-original sin method for dealing with out natural insincts
-seeing humanity as sinful means no proper motivation for following religious social rules
freud on better approach to society is autonomy
people can rationally understand that repressing desires good for society
-would make them choose to follow social rules
-laws of god psychological burden
aquinas natural law ethics as critique to freuds
using reason not about external imposition but degree of flexibility in application of primary precepts and use of double effect
-freuds critique only workd against approached to conscience like augustines where it involved external imposition of gods law
