conscience Flashcards
what is augustine’s view
humans are fallen creatures. we cannot rely on human reason
scholars in this topic
aquinas
freud
augustine
Pope Benedict
Hannah Arendt
Freud
What is synderesis according to Aquinas?
Synderesis is the habit or ability of reason to discover foundational ‘first principles’ of God’s natural moral law, providing insight into God’s intentions for human life.
It incites to good and murmurs at evil.
What does the synderesis rule state?
The good is what all things seek as their end (telos).
This reflects human nature’s innate orientation toward the good.
List the primary precepts by Aquinas.
- Worship God
- Live in an orderly society
- Reproduce
- Educate
- Protect and preserve human life
- Defend the innocent
These precepts articulate the natural inclinations of our God-designed human nature.
How does Aquinas define conscience?
Conscience is ratio (reason) used to understand and apply God’s natural law.
It involves the psychology of applying moral law.
What are the three classic features of conscience according to Aquinas?
- Witness – knowing if something was done
- Bind & incite – judging if something should be done
- Accuse, torment & rebuke – judging if something done is well or ill done
These features explain how conscience causes feelings of guilt.
What is the difference between vincible and invincible ignorance?
Invincible ignorance is when a person could not have known better, while vincible ignorance is when a person could have known better and is thus blameworthy.
Invincible ignorance is not considered a sin.
What is the consequence of acting against one’s conscience according to Aquinas?
Every judgment of conscience, whether right or wrong, is obligatory; acting against it is always a sin.
This is because one believes they are doing something evil.
Define real goods and apparent goods.
Real goods are truly good actions, while apparent goods are actions that seem good due to faulty reasoning.
Apparent goods can mislead individuals.
What criticism does Karl Barth have of Aquinas’ natural law theory?
Barth argues that it places an overreliance on human reason, suggesting that if humans could know God’s morality through reason, then revelation would be unnecessary.
He believes this leads to idolatry.
What is Freud’s view on conscience?
Freud believed the conscience is a result of psychological forces, particularly the interplay between the Id, Ego, and Super Ego, rather than the voice of God.
He argued that society conditions our moral feelings.
What is a criticism of Freud’s theories?
Freud’s theories are criticized for being ‘unfalsifiable’ and not empirical due to a small sample size and lack of scientific rigor.
Karl Popper highlighted these issues.
What is descriptive moral relativism?
Descriptive moral relativism is the observation that different cultures have vastly different moral beliefs.
This raises questions about the existence of an innate moral law.
What is the argument against Aquinas’ view of human nature?
Critics argue that the existence of extreme evils, such as slavery and Nazism, challenges the idea that human nature is oriented toward the good.
Aquinas acknowledges the potential for failure to do good despite an orientation toward it.
What does Freud argue is necessary for maintaining social order?
Repressing anti-social instincts
Examples include instincts for sex and violence
What is heteronomous morality according to Piaget?
A stage where children associate actions as bad due to authority figures
This occurs before the age of 11
What fundamental shift in morality occurs after age 11 according to Piaget?
Development of autonomous morality
Children begin to form abstract cognitive moral beliefs
What critique did Karl Popper make of Freud’s theory?
It is ‘unfalsifiable’
Meaning it cannot be proven wrong
What does Freud suggest is a better approach for society than religious imposition?
Autonomy
People would understand the need for social rules and follow them willingly
what is aquinas’ conscience NOT
not the voice of god or our own little voice
it is synderesis and using reason to come to a practical solution
how does aquinas differ from augustine
augustine thinks that reason, intellect and mind are all the same thing. but aquinas distinguishes reason as a seperate thing. we did not lose it in the fall
we are still in Imageo Dei so we retain the gift of ratio. it is in every human, as humans are the only creatures to deliberate over moral matters.
what do protestants think about conscience
in the fall, almost all our reasoning powers were lost, we are rationally destitute and should just take lead from god’s directly revealed framework
what is ratio
reason
it is progressive, it has some sort of direction which leads us to judgements.
=> it leads us to action
what was aquinas inspired by
paul’s letter to the romans(1:20)
suggests that we move from knowledge of this world to knowledge of the eternal world. ratio connects us to the eternal realm
progressive ratio quote
“reason (ratio) relates to understanding as Journeying to rest”
he calls it “the road of investigation and discovery”
how does aquinas develop upon aristotle
there are 2 types of knowledge
1. theoretical (scientific) - pursues truth
2. practical (ethics, how we should be, what is good) - this plans what we should do
intention is 1. truth. 2. a plan of action
what points do aquinas and pope benedict and Hannah Arendt make
morality is about using reason rather than following the crowd
Pope Benedict emphasised the dangers of basing moral actions on societal norms
Hannah Arendt also makes this point regarding the Holocaust
Pope Benedict quote regarding not following the crowd
about jesus’ trial
“they are shouting the same thing that everyone else is shouting. And in this way, justice is trampled underfoot”
aquinas book
Summa Theologica
lord istg if you dont know this just dont bother with the a level
what is synderesis (L)
the natural inclination to do good and avoid evil.
a universal desire and part of God’s will for humanity. it is infallible
what is conscienta (L)
the name Aquinas gives to the intellectual process of forming our particular moral judgements in individual circumstances.
“reason making the right decisions”
can be trained, should be a habit
what does the application of conscienta rely on
PRUDENCE
involves 3 skills
-understanding
-judgement
-good deliberation
what does Servais Pinckaers say
“St Thomas saw conscience and prudence as two converging lights”
what does aquinas believe a full conscienta entails. and who was it said by
Servais Pinckaers
to “witness, bind or incite, and to accuse”
- witness (see our past actions and judge them)
- bind/incite (judges that something to should(nt) be done. we apply knowledge of moral law and commits us to do the right thing)
- accuse (judging whether our action was well or ill done. if wrong, our conscience accuses, torments, and rebukes us (causing guilt)
how does aquinas explain errors in action eg evil
because of ignorance about how to apply divine/eternal laws.
vincible/invincible
vincible ignorance with example
- ignorance that can be overcome using one’s reason
- if you sold a gun to someone with a violent criminal record
invincible ignorance
- ignorance that cannot be overcome by using one’s reason
- outcomes from invincible ignorance are not morally wrong
- if you sold a gun to a model citizen who went on a rampage. you followed ratio etc and there was no likelihood this would have been the outcome
what can excuse a bad moral action according to aquinas
- a lack of choice
- invincible ignorance
why is choice important to aquinas
catholic moral theology says one needs full consent and knowledge to commit a sin
prudence what IS it / ISNT IT
it is an act, not a power
what should you also apply when using conscienta
the 5 primary precepts
briefly freud on conscience
not based on rational decision making, but is a product of psychological factors that influence human beings
key theories of freud x3
- psychosexual development
- oedipus complex
- penis envy
freud on the CONSCIOUS
- conscious mind (the thoughts a person has)
- pre-conscious (the memories not readily available but accessible)
- unconscious mind (repressed thoughts and feelings, inducing primitive desires, wish fulfillment. dreams)
freud quote on ego superego and id
“psychic apparatus”
the id
instinctive impulses that seek satisfaction in pleasure.
amoral, egocentric and pleasure-seeking, libido
impulsive and unconscious.
sex and violence (eros, thanatos) they are at war
operates on the “pleasure principle”
the ego
develops to mediate between the unrealistic if and the external real world.
the decision making component of personality.
uses reason
operates on the “reality principle”
seeks pleasure but is concerned with seeking a realistic strategy to obtaim pleasure.
considers social etiquette, norms and rules
ego and id simile
“like a man on horseback who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse”
the superego
contradicts the id and works on internalised ideals from parents, society. tries to impose morality
controls the id’s impulses
2 systems
- the conscience, punishes through guilt
- the ideal self, how you ought to be. behaviour which falls short ends in guilt. largely determined from parental values
differences between freud and aquinas
- atheist/theological
- psychological, no rational basis for moral decision making / rational, geared towards synderesis (the good)
- conscience is the product of internal tensions / conscience is the gift from god.
why is freud helpful x5
- empirical (sort of)
- freud begins with our experience of guilt - which is how the conscience reveals itself.
- supports the sub-conscious self as sometimes we act for reasons we do not understand.
- explains through moral relativism how opinions can differ
how does dawkins support freud
in The Selfish Gene, he says we are built for survival (violence) and reproduction (sex)
why is freud not helpful
- no tangible evidence to prove anyhting, accused of devising a theory to fit the facts. he uses little experimental basis. largely female or mentally ill viennese patients who dont reflect society as a whole.
- Karl Popper
- Fletcher
- Mikkel Borch-Jacobsen
- Karl Jung
- Foucault
- Ockham’s Razor
- Frank Tallis
- Karen Reivich
- Bertrand Russel
freud criticism acronym
FORK KMBF
Foucault
Ockham’s Razor
Reivich (Karen)
Karl Popper
Karl Jung
Mikkel Borch-Jacobson
Bertrand Russel
Frank Tallis and Fletcher
Foucault (on freud)
reductive, everything is reduced to childhood and sex
Freud denounces religion but he’s the same in the way he reduces problems to sexual ethics
Ockhams Razor (on freud)
on the oedipus complex, we can find a theory to explain guilt w/ less hypotheses
Karen Reivich (on freud)
educational psychologist
freud is unduly pessimistic
Karl Jung (on freud)
for freud, religion is oppressive and a neurosis
for jung, religion is positive and liberating
Karl Popper (on freud)
Freud is not falsifiable
rejection of the theory could be argued to be a repression of subconscious (circular)
Mikkel Borch-Jacobson (on freud)
Freud’s approach was more akin to creative fiction rather than social science
Bertrand Russel (on freud)
Fallacy of Composition - the error where one assumes what is true of a small group is true of a whole society
(links to his clientele being elite Viennese)
Fletcher (on freud)
conscience is a verb rather than a noun. not rules and reductive to say its a manifestation of guilt
Frank Tallis (on freud)
too male-centred, less persuasive when discussing female psychology
how is freud a counter to aquinas
most of our actions are subconscious
we all think our decisions are ours and rational
reasons why we behave are buried
Eric Fromm view of the conscience
we have two consciences
1) the authoritarian conscience - effectively freud’s view on the conscience (we internalise our fears of authority and that becomes that of the authority)
good authoritarian conscience makes us feel secure, a bad authoritarian conscience makes us fear punishment. (references ordinary german citizens feeling guilty about disobeying the nazis)
2) the humanistic conscience - SOME of us can develop this. our own inner voice telling us how well we are functioning in life. higher and more developed conscience, but for most, the authoritarian conscience dominates
piaget on conscience x4
- psychologist
- before the age of 11, children have heteronomous morality, they associate actions as bad due to authority, environment, culture.
- “heteronomous authority essentially cant derive own morality”
- after 11 autonomous morality develops in children, where they have abstract cognitive moral beliefs
cardinal john henry newman
- theist, similar to augustine
- conscience is still innate but not literal voice of god
- it is a messenger, acting as a truth detector rather than a truth inventor
- not an autonomous reality but a means through which individuals can engage with objective moral truths.
- He saw it as a “connecting principle between the creature and his Creator,” allowing people to perceive the echoes of a divine voice guiding them towards ethical behaviour
dawkins on conscience
- morality has an evolutionary origin
- “the selfish gene” wishes to reproduce and adhering the common moral norms help us achieve this
- we protect kin
- reciprocity
- reputation, attraction of mates
who supports dawkins on the conscience
E.O. Wilson
E.O. Wilson on conscience
-biologist
- humans naturally cohere into groups and divide into it-groups and out-groups on instinct
- we are a eusocial species (advanced level of social organisation) where you organise into groups you identify with
Hannah Arendt on conscience
- watched Eichmann’s trial
- german-jewish
- “the banality of evil” - how evil can result from ordinary, thoughtless behaviour.
- if Eichmann did not live in nazi germany, he would’t have done the things he did
- as long as our morality is socially acceptable, it is okay. our ideas of right and wrong are shaped by our environment
- challenges the idea that humans have an innate moral compass
- people must not blindly follow orders.
scholars giving other conscience theories
- arendt
- e.o. wilson
- cardinal john henry newman
- dawkins
- piaget
