Conscience Flashcards
What is conscience according to Augustine?
- God’s love
- it is the voice of God ‘speaking’ to us
its a quote from Vatican II
What does the Catholic church argue conscience is?
“conscience is the most secret core and sanctuary of a man. there he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths”- Church in the mordern world- Vatican II
What is Fletchers definition of conscience?
experiening a situation and deciding rationally what to do- it is a process not an attribute
What is conscience according to Aquinas?
“it is the reason making moral judgements or choice values”- Aquinas
Synderesis
an innate knowledge of human nature and primary precepts through practical reason
Where must all good come from according to Augustine?
God
Why does Pelagius disagree with Augustine’s view of conscience?
- humans have an independent ability to identify, choose and act according to their perception of good
- we have free will to act upon our conscience
How does Aquinas’ conscience work?
- synderesis= our innate natural ability to understand divine law
- conscienta= moral judgements- a reasoned ethical decision. the application of reason to synderesis
What does Newman believe conscience is?
- something in the mind that is implanted by God
- “conscience is a law of the mind…a messenger of him, who…speaks to us”
- [God] implanted this law…in the intelligence of all rationa creatures”
quote
What does Newman put above the Pope?
“I toast to the Pope by I toast to conscience first”
quote
What does Aquinas say is a sin?
“anything against conscience is a sin”
Vincible ignorance
a lack of knowledge for which you are responsible
How can you make sure your conscience is correctly ‘informed’?
- awarness of church doctrine/teachings
- natural law: primary/secondary precepts- a way to apply reason correctly
Invincible ignorance
lack of knowledge for which you are not responsible
What are the three parts of conscience according to Freud?
- the conscious= the small amount of mental activity we know about
- the preconscious= things we could be aware of if we wanted or tried
- the unconscious= things we are unaware of and cannot become aware of
What are the three aspects of the mind according to Freud?
- the Id (“the it”)
- the superego (“the over-I”)
- the ego
what is Freud’s analogy for the three parts of conscience?
an iceberg
what is the Id?
- instinct
- basic drives/needs
- concerned with self-preservation and self-gratification
What is the superego?
- the internalised influence of society
- the conscience
- a construct of the mind in response to parents, religion/God (in religious people) and to authority in society
What is the ego?
- the conscious, rational ‘self’
- balances supergeo anf Id. Influence of each depends on the strength of the influence and the character of the individual
What did Freud say the ego was like?
“like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse”
What happens to the individual if the Id is too dominant?
the individual becomes too self-centred
What happens to the individual if the superego is too dominant?
the individual may feel guilt or have a ‘saint complex’
What happens to the individual if the ego is too dominant?
the individual may be cold and over-calculating as a person
What does Freud say conscience is a product of?
psychological factors that influence human beings in ways that may or may not be healthy
What is Freud’s psychosexual development?
takes place in a series of fixed stages, and each stage is associated with a particular part of the body as the libido (sexual desire) focuses on that part of the body as a source of pleasure, frustration or both
Strengths of Freud’s ideas
- acknowledges the significant role of conscience in moral understanding
- recognises the significance of parents, religion and society in developing our morality
- recognises differing moral understandings in societies, religions, etc
Weaknesses of Freud’s ideas
- lacks evidence
- his ideas are based on studies of a very limited sample and narrow cross-section of people
- his viewpoint is negative. Guilt can be a healthy thing
What is Ruth Benedict’s idea about conscience?
- “morality…is a convenient term for socially approved habits”
- believed that conscience was a cultural relativism
- conscience is a collection of values, norms, etc inherited from society, not as an objective reality
What is Richard Dawkins view of conscience?
- it is an evolved character trait
- ‘reciprocal altruism’= a selfish genetic survivial strategy
- the conscience is an evolved character trait that enables species to survive though co-opperation
- ‘non-reciprocal altruism’= “a misfiring of our selfish genes”
