psychological & social view of conscience (secular)

Question 1

Fromm

Answer 1

• psychoanalyst, philosopher
• abandoned religion to become atheist believing religion reason for disharmony

Question 2

key terms:
authoritarian conscience
humanistic conscience

Answer 2

authoritarian conscience: aspect of conscience which represents the internalised voice of a disapproving society which we’re afraid to disobey
humanistic conscience: aspect of conscience that has an intuitive knowledge of what’s humane and inhumane

Question 3

info on Fromm

Answer 3

• guilt, shame cause fear of being rejected by society
• Fromm’s book was ‘On Disobedience and Other Essays’ and pointed out that in most social systems supreme virtue is obedience and supreme sin is disobedience
• feel afraid as think they’ve been disobedient when feeling guilty
• not troubled by moral issue but troubled by disobeying a command

Question 4

what does this show about conscience

Answer 4

• arises out of fear of being shunned & excluded from society as we’ve been disobedient
• inner voice is internalised voice of a disapproving society
• our existing religious, philosophical, social systems give us intuitive knowledge of difference between two forms of conscience

Question 5

criticised

Answer 5

• too political and his examples only work in extreme situations
• ideas spoken during cold war