The Conscience

Question 1

Outline Augustine’s view on the conscience

Answer 1

The infallible voice of God. Therefore, it has divine authority and should always be followed.

Question 2

Evaluate Augustine’s view on the scripture

Answer 2

+ scripture support
Paul wrote to the Romans that the “the requirements of the law are written on our hearts”

This suggests the conscience is built into us.

+Supported by later theologians: Schleiermacher also described the conscience as the “voice of God within.”

• dependent on belief in God
• does not explain individual differences
• Augustine highlights the importance of free will, arguing a “runaway horse is better than a stone” however, his views on the conscience seems to undermine human agency.

Question 3

Outline Aquinas’s views on the conscience

Answer 3

The conscience is not the innate voice of God but our God given faculty of reason, placed within us by God.

Aquinas’s Natural Moral Law is grounded in the synderesis principle, the notion that humans have a natural instinct to do good and avoid evil.

Through the use of the synderesis principle the primary precepts will become self evident.

Aquinas describes the synderesis principle as the “rational part of a human agent, a natural disposition of the human mind.”

Then, through our use of reason, our conscience can apply these primary precepts to secondary situations and precepts.

Aquinas recognises the human nature of reason and therefore states it is fallible and so can be mistaken. This can be due to ignorance or doing what we believe to be apparent goods. However, whilst it can be mistaken it should always be followed. It is a gift from God and thus is the closest source of moral authority.

Question 4

Outline Butler’s views of the conscience

Answer 4

A reflective tool given to use by God. As a gift from God it has divine authority and should always be followed.

The conscience operates on two principles of prudence and benevolence, morality is the balance between these two.

Prudence refers to love of the self (egoism), whilst benevolence is our love for others and recognition of their needs.

Question 5

Evaluate Butler’s views on the conscience

Question 6

Outline Fletcher’s views on the conscience

Answer 6

Rejects other Christian views on the conscience, including using the term conscience as a noun, opposed to a verb.

Fletcher argues the conscience is not a thing in itself, it is a thing we do, the conscience is the process in making decisions when using the agapeic calculus.

He states views on the conscience as a noun reflects the “fixed mindedness of law based ethics.”

Question 7

Evaluate Fletcher’s views on the conscience

Question 8

Outline Freud’s views on the conscience

Answer 8

The conscience is part of the superego. Operating on the morality principle, Freud states the superego is the part of the personality which is the moral views from society and authority figures in which we have internalised. Therefore, going against the conscience lead to feelings of guilt as the conscience punishes in the same way an authoritative figure would.

Question 9

Evaluate Freud’s views on the conscience

Question 10

Outline Fromm’s views on the conscience

Answer 10

Fromm was a Marxist, Atheist, philosopher whose beliefs on the conscience developed after the times of the Holocaust, a period in which human morality was truly questioned.

Fromm argues the conscience only develops in a social context.
We have an authoritarian and humane conscience.

The authoritarian conscience results us acting in a certain way due to fear of punishment from external forces. Fromm highlights how most societies place obedience as one of the most important virtues. Therefore, we conform to societal norms and follow the rules not due to our own beliefs but to avoid social rejection and punishment.

The humanitarian conscience is conversely not influenced by external forces. We operate based on our own individual moral beliefs and attitudes.

Question 11

Outline