Lesson 6 Flashcards
Innate
Inborn conscience, which originates in the mind
Augustine beliefs about conscience
-The conscience is a part of God’s creation of humans.
-The conscience is innate – meaning that it is put into the minds (or souls!) of humans by God.
-He literally sees the conscience as the “voice of God”.
Augustine quote
“For when will they be able to understand that there is no soul, however wicked…in whose conscience God does not speak?”
(St Augustine)
St Paul quote about conscience
The conscience is… “…a witness to the requirements of the law.”
Schleiermacher - conscience
-This understanding of the conscience was also shared in the writings of Protestant writer Schleiermacher.
-Schleiermacher wanted to reinstate the significance of the academic study of religion, following the rationalist critiques of the Enlightenment period.
-The work of rationalists had done much to dismantle the study of religion as serious work.
-Synoptic link: you study Schleiermacher in Religious Experience
F. Schleiermacher (1768-1834)- conscience main beliefs
-Conscience is direct revelation by God.
-It is a sin to go against one’s conscience.
-This is because God acts through the conscience, guiding a Christian over how they should behave.
-The conscience should take priority over all other forms of morality as God is actively working through it.
-Conscience is something God does – guiding people from within.
Schleiermacher - concept of feeling
-Schleiermacher’s concept of feeling is connected to his notion of religious intuition.
-He saw religious feeling as a fundamental element of religious experience. It is not merely an emotional state but a deeper sense of dependence and interconnectedness with the divine.
-Feeling, in this context, refers to an inner, emotional response to one’s awareness of the divine.
-Schleiermacher’s “feeling of absolute dependence” on the Divine, is the core of religious consciousness. It represents an immediate, emotional, and intuitive awareness of one’s relationship to the transcendent, which, for Schleiermacher, is God.
Emotional element of conscience
-Schleiermacher’s view of feeling as a source of knowledge and moral awareness suggests that ethical decision-making is not purely a rational or intellectual process but involves a significant emotional component.
-Conscience, as the result of moral feeling and intuition, incorporates these emotional elements in the formation of moral judgments.
-Conscience, in the sense of an inner moral awareness, is closely tied to these moral feelings. It is through feeling that individuals become aware of the rightness or wrongness of their actions.
Feeling of Absolute Dependence
Schleiermacher famously described conscience as the “feeling of absolute dependence” on God.
This means that our conscience is a deep, inner feeling that connects us to something greater than ourselves, which he often associated with a divine or transcendent moral reality.
We have a God consciousnesses.
Intuition Over Reason
-Unlike some philosophers who emphasized rational moral principles, Schleiermacher emphasized the role of intuition and feeling in moral decision-making.
-Schleiermacher believed that our conscience is like a bridge between our inner moral compass and a higher moral reality, often associated with God.
-In other words, he saw it as a deep, intuitive feeling that guides our moral choices.
Religious Background
-Schleiermacher’s theological background, as a prominent figure in the Protestant Christian tradition, significantly influenced his ideas.
-He sought to integrate religious faith with philosophical thought, and his concept of conscience reflects this effort.
Moral Autonomy vs. Dependence
-One important point of discussion is whether Schleiermacher’s view aligns with the idea of moral autonomy, where individuals make independent moral judgments.
-Some critics argue that his emphasis on dependence on a higher moral order limits human freedom and moral decision-making.
Modern Relevance
Today, his concept of conscience can be seen as relevant in discussions about the source of moral values, religious ethics, and how individuals navigate moral dilemmas in a secular world.
Independence and Critiques
Some might argue that Schleiermacher’s approach makes us rely too much on religious beliefs for our moral compass.
Schleiermacher conscience as voice of god
-Schleiermacher did not believe that conscience was the literal voice of God.
-Instead, he saw conscience as a deep feeling or intuition within individuals that connects them to a higher moral or divine reality.
-It’s more about an inner sense of right and wrong, a feeling of moral dependence on this higher moral order or on God, rather than a direct and literal communication with God.
