Conscience - Augustine and Aquinas

Question 1

What did Augustine say about the conscience?

Answer 1

When we think we hear our conscience we are listening to the word of God speaking to us about what is right and wrong.

Question 2

Give Augustine’s quote.

Answer 2

“return to you conscience, question it. Turn inward brethren and in everything you do see God as your witness.

Question 3

How does the Bible support Augustine?

Answer 3

Suggests that God can speak directly to people e.g. to the prophets of the Old Testament.

Question 4

How do God’s attributes support Augustine?

Answer 4

If God is all loving, God can speak through the conscience informing people of the most loving action.
If God is all powerful then he has the power to inform the conscience.

Question 5

What evidence supports Augustine?

Answer 5

People have had religious experiences in which they have claimed to hear God’s voice/message.

Question 6

How does Rachels criticise Augustine?

Answer 6

To follow God’s voice through the conscience is to give up one’s moral autonomy.

Question 7

How does Ayer criticise Augustine?

Answer 7

“No command can be based on authority alone” - for atheists no one should trust a moral command because it comes from God through the conscience.

Question 8

How does Leibniz criticise Augustine?

Answer 8

God can give different messages at different times. If God can arbitrarily change his mind at will like this then God is not to be trusted with his power when he speaks through the conscience.

Question 9

What is ratio?

Answer 9

Reason. It is the act of working things out. Reason can move us from knowledge of this world to the eternal world, the divine world. It can move us to a higher knowledge and give us higher moral awareness of the divine

Question 10

How do reason and NML relate?

Answer 10

Reason uses empirical evidence of the world around us and enables us to work out the primary precepts (our common human telos). Reason directs us to the absolute Good.

Question 11

What is the principle of syneidesis?

Answer 11

To do good and avoid evil.

Question 12

What does Aquinas say about the syneidesis and the conscience?

Answer 12

Humans are directed towards this in matters of morality. There is also sensuality in each one of us that tempts us to do evil. Aquinas thought that when these came into conflict, humans would choose to do the good.

Question 13

Why does Aquinas think humans need to practise the virtues?

Answer 13

They need to practise the virtues in order to habitually choose the good when making moral decisions.

Question 14

What is conscientia?

Answer 14

“Reason making right decisions”. It is an act in a human person that comes about as a person uses their knowledge which they gain from ratio and Syneidesis and apply it to something we do.

Question 15

How is reason used in Conscientia?

Answer 15

A person must use their reason to decide the good that is to be done and the evil to be avoided. Once good is decided (if it is correctly reasoned then it should conform to the Natural moral laws) the person can act and apply their knowledge to whatever they decide to do.

Question 16

What is ignorance?

Answer 16

Humans can make mistakes using Ratio, as knowledge can be incomplete or wrong

Question 17

What is culpable ignorance?

Answer 17

This is wrong information for which we are to blame because we have failed to educate the conscience properly.

Question 18

What is vincible ignorance?

Answer 18

It is a lack of knowledge for which a person ought to have known better. It is not excusable to make a wrong moral decision because of knowledge that one should have known.

Question 19

What is invincible ignorance?

Answer 19

It is a lack of knowledge for which a person is not responsible. Reason was used and the conscience informed wrongly but the person is not morally culpable for their action. God will forgive the act.

Question 20

What was Aquinas’ example of invincible ignorance?

Answer 20

Mistaken reason bids a man to sleep with another man’s wife. This obviously breaks the divine law “Do not commit adultery” but if the man really thinks that this is his wife and she wants him then his will is free from fault. The mistake is a genuine mistake so the man is free from fault.

Question 21

What is guilt for Aquinas?

Answer 21

We feel guilt when we have failed to educate the conscience fully and have given into temptation of lustful desire.

Question 22

What does Aquinas think we should educate our conscience with?

Answer 22

Natural Law - priest’s advice, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Papal teaching), Bible.

Question 23

How is Aquinas’ view stronger than Augustine?

Answer 23

Obedience to the individual conscience is even more important than obeying God. This overcomes the problems of those who follow God’s voice as the conscience and do morally bad acts. Aquinas’ stress on ratio overcomes the criticisms of Augustine. One is obedient only on one’s own conscience, which should be fully informed.

Question 24

How is Aquinas’ view a pragmatic approach?

Answer 24

Recognises that humans are finite and make mistakes because they are not perfect like God.

Question 25

How does Aquinas take into account our telos?

Answer 25

That we are created to be good like God and that we all have a common human nature (it is based on empirical evidence established through the use of ratio).

Question 26

Aquinas argues that reason should lead humans to the same absolute NML, why is this weak?

Answer 26

He fails to take account of the fact that morality may be relative to individuals (Protagoras) or culture (Mackie).

Question 27

Aquinas argues that the conscience is a process of reason, what else could it be?

Answer 27

That people learn their conscience from parents, environment rather than it being a process of reason psychological approach

Question 28

How can people still reach different conclusions with Aquinas’ view?

Answer 28

This is because they can use different revelations from God to inform their conscience which may not fall in line with the Natural Moral Laws.

Question 29

Aquinas argues that if we follow our conscience we can become perfectly good like God, why is this weak?

Answer 29

Some people follow their conscience and do not do good

Question 30

What are the flaws of Aquinas basing his view on conscience on the natural moral laws?

Answer 30

Kai Nelson claims we do not have a common human nature. G.E Moore claims we cannot derive an is from an ought (we cannot derive value statements from empirical evidence.

Question 31

What are the flaws of basing his approach on God?

Answer 31

Dawkins - there is no God so there are no Natural Moral Laws that are God given and therefore conscience cannot use this as a basis for working out morality. Bertrand Russell as well - universe is a “brute fact”

Question 32

What does Aquinas say about reason?

Answer 32

It is “rather like God in the world”

Question 33

What does Aquinas say about educating you conscience (quote)?

Answer 33

“A well informed conscience is upright and truthful”