Conscience (A Level) Flashcards
What is Freud’s idea regarding the id, ego, and superego?
- Id: The unconscious, instinctive part of our personality that consists of our basic, animalistic needs and desires
- Ego: The rational faculty that realises we have to take others into account and acts as a brake for the id. A ‘front’ for social expectations
- Super-ego: Develops in early childhood as the internalised voice of parental authority, continuing the role of commanding, threatening, etc. that was carried out by parents and other authority figures. The conscience is the negative aspect of the super-ego, expressing itself consciously or unconsciously as guilt or shame
How does Freud suggest that the super-ego subdivides?
Freud suggests that the super-ego subdivides into:
- The ego ideal - formed through parental rewarding of ‘good’ behaviour with praise, and
- The conscience - formed through parental punishment of ‘bad’ behaviour, causing feelings of guilt and shame
In what two ways did Erich Fromm believe the conscience could be experienced?
Erich Fromm believed that the conscience could be experienced as the authoritarian conscience and as the humanistic conscience
Describe Fromm’s idea regarding the authoritarian conscience
Fromm’s authoritarian conscience is an internalised response based on fear to the demands of an authoritarian society. Disobedience to these ideals results in a guilty conscience.
An example of this is in the Nazis’ manipulation of the conscience of many Germans to feel guilt at helping and not harming Jews. However, From does not allow for those who are able to withstand such social manipulation, as many did in Nazi Germany (WEAKNESS)
Describe Fromm’s idea regarding the humanistic conscience
The humanistic conscience is much more positive. This aspect of conscience understands and seeks what will lead to human and social flourishing. It is not afraid to challenge elements of society that are destructive toward human well-being
Describe St. Augustine of Hippo’s view in the 300s on the conscience
St. Augustine of Hippo suggests that the conscience is the literal voice of God which informs the moral agent on what is right and wrong. In his way, all people are aware of God’s natural law
Therefore, Augustine believed that the conscience has supremacy in ethical decision-making, an idea backed up by St. Paul, who suggested that ‘the conscience is the witness to the requirements of law.’
Describe Cardinal John Henry Newman’s view, written in the 1800s, on the conscience
Cardinal John Henry Newman supported Augustine’s view of the conscience, taking a similarly intuitive (based on feeling) view concerning the nature of conscience. Newman argued that when following their conscience, a moral agent is following divine law, as conscience is a messenger of God and is the act of God speaking.
Newman famously stated, ‘I toast the Pope, but I toast the conscience first.’
How did Aquinas understand the conscience?
Aquinas understood the conscience as not the innate voice of God, but rather a device or faculty for distinguishing right from wrong. He described the conscience as ‘the mind making moral judgements’
What is the synderesis principle and what impact does it have on Aquinas’ view of conscience?
Aquinas suggested that humans have a natural orientation toward doing good and avoiding evil, known as the synderesis principle. In moral dilemmas, the conscience assists the moral agent in identifying what is good and what is evil
What two aspects did Aquinas identify within the conscience?
Aquinas identified the following two aspects/purposes within the conscience:
- Using practical reason to acquire knowledge and understanding of the primary precepts of NML
- Then distinguishing between right and wrong and making an ethical decision in each situation, using the secondary precepts to apply the primary ones
Describe Aquinas’ idea of the fallibility of the conscience due to lacking information
Aquinas believed that the conscience may be mistaken as a result of not understanding all the facts in a situation, perhaps the result of misinformation. This is not blameworthy.
An example would be a man having a relationship with a married woman while under the impression that she is widowed
Describe Aquinas’ idea of vincible and invincible ignorance
Aquinas believed that the conscience may also be mistaken through ignorance, of which he named two types:
- Vincible ignorance: When individuals do not make every effort to be aware of and understand clear Church teaching on an issue - making a wrong decision through vincible ignorance is a sin
- Invincible ignorance: Where individuals have made every effort to fully inform their conscience but there is some ambiguity in Church teaching - in his case, making a wrong decision is not a sin
