conscience

Question 1

The conscience is what term?

Answer 1

The conscience is the term people often give to their inner sense of right and wrong.

Question 2

Bible passages that relate to the conscience?

Answer 2

‘for I do not do the good, I want to do, but the evil I do not want to’ Romans 7:19
paul struggles with the way his actions conflict with his inner sense of right and wrong.

Question 3

Bible says what also about the conscience?

Answer 3

’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them’- Genesis 1:27– some see the conscience as a aspect of humanity made in the image of God, created with the ability to discern right from wrong.

Question 4

Aquinas took what approach to the conscience?

Answer 4

Theological approach to the conscience.

Question 5

Aquinas did not think the conscience was what?

Answer 5

Did not think the conscience was an independent special faculty or power capable of telling people what is right and wrong. He thought that the conscience is an aspect of human reason.

Question 6

Aquinas thought that reason was what?

Answer 6

Aquinas thought that reason is what separates us from other animals. He called this reason ratio.

Question 7

Aquinas believed that reason is what?

Answer 7

Reason is a gift from God- placed in every person because everyone is made in Gods image and likeness (Genesis 1:27)

Question 8

What does ratio enable us to do?

Answer 8

work things out - and make judgements on them. Aquinas made use of this understanding of reason in his ethical teaching about natural law- as well as teaching about the conscience.

Question 9

Aquinas thought that there was what in each person?

Answer 9

Principle of synderesis which encourages us to do good and avoid evil.
thought that we can cultivate synderesis in ourselves- through effort, so it becomes a habit.
if we try to do good then our reason will help us.

Question 10

Aquinas thought that are consciences are what?

Answer 10

They are binding because it is wrong to go against reason.- thought that we should do what we think is right and that we also have a duty to make sure our reason is well informed when we make moral decisions.
- did not argue that the conscience should be simply followed by a ‘gut feeling’.

Question 11

Aquinas said that people cannot be blamed for what?

Answer 11

They cannot be blamed if they follow their consciences when they make moral judgments based on the best of their knowledge- but sometimes do the wrong thing through ignorance.

Question 12

Ignorance can be divided into two kinds what are these kinds?

Answer 12

vincible ignorance

invincible ignorance

Question 13

what is vincible ignorance?

Answer 13

is a lack of knowledge which the person could have done something about.- if people do the wrong thing through ignorance when they could have informed themselves better, then they are blameworthy.

Question 14

what is invincible ignorance?

Answer 14

it is the opposite. Sometimes people act in good faith and follow their consciences but they get things wrong because of ignorance of facts they could not have been expected to anything about - they cannot be blamed for this.

Question 15

Who was Cardinal John Henry Newman?

Answer 15

a leading catholic of the nineteenth century, famously said ‘ to conscience first, and to the pope afterwards’, showing his belief that conscience should take priority even over the teachings of the catholic church- responsibility for moral actions falls on the individual.

Question 16

What are possible criticisms of Aquinas approach to the conscience?

Answer 16

It could be argued that Aquinas does not take into account the extent to which our moral values reasoning is influenced by our upbringing and society.- what seems to be the conscience could be the values of society- we have learned.

Question 17

Some people disagree that the conscience is what?

Answer 17

is the human mind making moral decisions and that instead it comes more from God- Augustine and Joseph Butler are more inclined to think this way.

Question 18

What approach does Freud take to the Conscience?

Answer 18

psychological approach to the conscience.

Question 19

Freud was the founder to what?

Answer 19

he was a founder of the psychoanalysis and wrote his major works in the first half of the twentieth century.

Question 20

Freud believed what about the conscience?

Answer 20

he believed that the conscience is not rational decision- making but comes from an inner unconscious part of our minds- shaped by our upbringing.

Question 21

Freud thought that our minds had what?

Answer 21

several layers- like layers of a rock. We know what we are thinking about on the surface, but their are all kinds of deeper ideas, memories and habits that we are not always fully aware of, but that still influence the ways in which we think and behave.

Question 22

Freud thought that the way our mind works is closely linked to what?

Answer 22

sexuality.- he thought there were five stages of psychosexual development.

Question 23

Freud identified three aspects of the human personality what were these called?

Answer 23

The ego
The ID
The super- ego.

Question 24

what is the ego?

Answer 24

The ego manages the ID.
The ego learns from parents & society- about behaviour that is considered appropriate in different social settings. The ego- manages the Id’s feelings of frustration when immediate gratification is not possible.
Ego- acts as conscience as it remembers when actions are appropriate and inappropriate.

Question 25

What is the ID?

Answer 25

powerful part of our personalities- within us from birth.- leads us to seek pleasure and it wants immediate gratification.

Question 26

What is the super-ego?

Answer 26

where the mind ‘stores’ moral teaching and social rules received through upbringing.- religious rules and moral feelings as well as conscience are in Freuds view related to the super ego.

Question 27

Freuds three aspects of the mind are not what?

Answer 27

They are not totally separate but interrelate in dynamic ways.

Question 28

For Freud the conscience does what?

Answer 28

The conscience arises from the interplay between the ID, the ego and the super ego. Our feelings about different actions arise because of ways our minds have developed.

Question 29

Eric Fromm developed Freuds ideas, what did he believe?

Answer 29

Fromm wrote of the immature and the mature conscience. The immature conscience is based on an unthinking response to feelings of guilt- whereas the mature conscience involves rational thinking and decision making.

Question 30

What are possible criticisms of Freuds account of the conscience?

Answer 30

Freud does not consider the possibility of there being any relation between the conscience and God.- dismisses the idea of God without discussion.

Question 31

Criticism of Freud- many thinkers believe that Freud puts too great emphasis on what?

Answer 31

on sexuality as underpinning every aspect of psychology- rather than looking at a wider range of possible influences on the human mind.

Question 32

both Aquinas and Freud understand the conscience as what?

Answer 32

as an individual making moral decisions.

Question 33

Both Aquinas and Freud think the conscience can sometimes be in what opposition?

Answer 33

can sometimes be in opposition to whatever the majority popular view held by society might be.

Question 34

Both Aquinas and Freud think that the conscious can be what?

Answer 34

can be shaped or educated.

Question 35

Both see the conscience as something other than what?

Answer 35

other than the direct voice of God.

Question 36

Both agree that guilt can be what?

Answer 36

Guilt can be disruptive for humanity. Both see a link between guilt and human desires for sensual pleasure.

Question 37

Parallels can be drawn between what?

Answer 37

drawn between Aquinas’ understanding of the effective operation of reason in the cultivation of synderesis in a person of good character.- and Freuds understanding of the mentally healthy state of a balance between the Id, superego and ego. - Both saw the importance of balance.

Question 38

Differences between Aquinas and Freud.

Aquinas sees the conscience as what?

Answer 38

An activity of God-given reason.

Question 39

Freud does not include what?

Answer 39

the idea of God at all In his account of the conscience.

Question 40

Aquinas sees wrongdoing in terms of what?

Answer 40

In terms of sin, and right and wrong in terms of the will of God.

Question 41

Freud does not have an idea of what?

Answer 41

Of right and wrong as absolute values- and sees them in terms of norms in society.

Question 42

Aquinas understands guilt in terms of what?

Answer 42

In terms of feelings of being to blame for moral wrong- doing.

Question 43

What does Freud see guilt as?

Answer 43

guilt in terms of internal conflict between different aspects of personality.

Question 44

Aquinas understands the conscience as what?

Answer 44

as the workings of the human reason when making moral decisions.

Question 45

Freud understands the conscience as what?

Answer 45

Understands the conscience to work on a more subconscious level.

Question 46

Aquinas says that the conscience as morally what?

Answer 46

Binding.

Question 47

Freud says that the conscience does not relate to what?

Answer 47

does not relate to any kind of absolute right and wrong but reflects the operation of the ID, super-ego and ego.

Question 48

Aquinas was writing when?

Answer 48

was writing in the thirteenth century when people understood many puzzle aspects of the world in terms of theology.

Question 49

Freud was writing when ?

Answer 49

in the early twentieth century when there has been significant advances in medicine and some development of social sciences.

Question 50

What is conscientia?

Answer 50

This is the name Aquinas gives to the process whereby a persons reason makes moral judgements.