Topic 8 - Conscience Flashcards
What is the use of ratio in Aquinas’ understanding of the conscience?
Aquinas talks of ‘practice ratio’ this is the use of reason in practice, this not only entails knowing what should be done but thinking what should be done.
This is placed in every person as a result of being created by God.
What does Aquinas mean by synderesis in his views on conscience?
Aquinas is building on the work of St. Jerome as for Jerome ‘synderesis’ and ‘conscience’ are interchangeable terms.
For Aquinas, synderesis is the natural inclination to do good and avoid evil, a desire which is universal, infallible and part of God’s will.
What does Aquinas mean by conscientia?
A person’s reason making moral judgements. In general, the conscience, but in Aquinas used to distinguish individual acts of conscience - in which he may be mistaken.
Simply, just because we have a desire to do good and avoid evil this desire does not always lead to the right action.
What does Aquinas mean by vincible/invincible ignorance?
VINCIBLE = Ignorance we could easily overcome and for which we are worthy of blame. e.g. drunk driving
INVINCIBLE = Ignorance which is not our fault so we cannot be blamed.
What is Freud’s views on psychosexual early development and awareness of the libido?
- Newborn child is all Id, with basic drives such as for food, aggression and sex
- A part of the Id is the libido which is the energy of the instincts.
- Psychosexual development is the combination of the oral, anal and phallic stages which at the end will mean the child has surpassed being purely Id and libido.
What does Freud mean by the ego?
The Ego is rational and capable of controlling the Id. Freud gives the analogy of a horse and rider.
The Ego has to battle with the external world and the super-ego as well as with the Id. When this happens, the Ego tends to be more loyal to the id.
What does Freud mean by the Superego?
Develops as a result of socialisation and growth, largely through the effect of parents.
Symbolically internalises the sense of Father figure and the regulations founds in society
Opposes the Id and in particular the Oedipus Complex.
What is Aquinas view on the concept of guilt?
Guilt is a phenomena which doesn’t need to be explained, but just facts about how we are. LINKS TO VINCIBLE/INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE
What is Freud view on guilt?
Equates conscience with guilt.
We feel guilt as society teaches us that our base desires are wrong.
What does Joseph Butler say about the conscience?
“our natural guide”
Like Aquinas, he states that conscience is the final moral decision maker and comes from God. He also agrees with Aquinas that it should always be followed.
He likes talking about principles and reflection. What Butler means is that the fact we reflect on our own behaviour shows the existence of conscience. This is arguably a strength of Butler’s argument because it’s concurrent with humanity - we do reflect on our decisions, and so Butler’s point may appeal to many people.
What does Butler mean by automatic and unconscious?
“magisterially exerts itself without being consulted.”
It is powerful and happens without our permission; we can’t tell our conscience to shut up, and it may nag at us for a long time after we’ve done something wrong.
Like Aquinas, Butler said that following your conscience is following the Divine Law. Conscience is the perfect balance between benevolence and self-love (which, he argues, are inherent in all humans). Beneath benevolence and self-love lie our drives: our passions and desires which we can’t control but can hold off.
What is the only difference between Aquinas and Butler?
The biggest difference between Butler and Aquinas is that Butler argues our conscience doesn’t make mistakes and is completely flawless. Because there is no human input (unlike Aquinas’s definition, whereby by take the tool of reason and chisel it to form a conscience), the conscience cannot be wrong in any way.
The only way evil is done is if people actively choose to ignore the conscience. Butler said this was a wicked act, and even said that disobeying conscience is morally worse than the act in which conscience is ignored.
To rephrase that with an example, if a paedophile abused a child, Butler would argue that the paedophile disobeying his conscience is a worse crime than him/her abusing the child. From the perspective of a human in the 21st century, this can of course be heavily criticised.
What is Newman’s view on conscience?
Similar to Butler in many ways and took inspiration from Augustine.
“messenger from God”
Newman argues that the conscience is literally God’s word. He says that it detects but does not invent (whereas Aquinas says the conscience invents).
Newman took influence from Augustine. Augustine said the conscience was like God whispering to us - not shouting or ordering, just whispering and guiding.
He also said this memorable quote:
“I salute the Pope, but I salute conscience first.”
What did Piaget say about conscience?
Piaget says that there are two types of conscience:
- Immature conscience (ages 5-10)
- Mature conscience (ages 11+)
The immature conscience, he says, is to do with the guilty feelings which come with discipline when we are children. It has little to do with the rational importance of an action, for all we do is seek the approval of others. It is consequentialist and Piaget refers to it as heteronomous morality.
The mature conscience, though, is outward-looking. It challenges and questions things and we form our own rules. This, Piaget says, is a more autonomous morality.
What does St. Paul say about conscience ?
Supports that it comes from unconscious mind
2 Corinthians 1:12 - “God has given us our conscience” and “Our conscience is created and not learnt”
ESSAY PLAN - USED FOR GOD
“Is the conscience linked to, or separate from, reason and the unconscious mind?”
“Does the conscience exist at all or is it instead an umbrella term covering various factors involved in moral decision making, such as culture, environment, genetic predisposition and education?”
“Critically assess the claim that the conscience is the voice of God”
POINT 1 -
purely religious vs aquinas (reason), innate voice of god (newman)
• INTUITIVE VOICE OF GOD: Cardinal Newman’s theological view of the conscience is that of the immediate voice of God telling us what to do “the voice of the lawgiver”, rather than our own use of ratio. When a person follows their conscience they are simultaneously following God’s divine law; when one ignores one’s conscience they experience guilt and shame, as “God is the one to whom we are responsible, before whom we are ashamed”
ESSAY PLAN - USED FOR GOD
“Is the conscience linked to, or separate from, reason and the unconscious mind?”
“Does the conscience exist at all or is it instead an umbrella term covering various factors involved in moral decision making, such as culture, environment, genetic predisposition and education?”
“Critically assess the claim that the conscience is the voice of God”
POINT 1 - counter argument
differing moralities
• Fails to explain why theists may have differing moral views on issues such as abortion, with some leaning towards a liberal pro-choice approach, and other a conservative pro-life account either it is not the voice of God, or the voice of God is unclear. If the voice of God is unclear surely there’d be little purpose in following the conscience at all (due to stifling ambiguities)
ESSAY PLAN - USED FOR GOD
“Is the conscience linked to, or separate from, reason and the unconscious mind?”
“Does the conscience exist at all or is it instead an umbrella term covering various factors involved in moral decision making, such as culture, environment, genetic predisposition and education?”
“Critically assess the claim that the conscience is the voice of God”
POINT 1 - counter response
application of reasons (Aquinas)
- Aquinas believed conscience was a process of applying right reason (recta ratio), in order to develop the intellectual virtue of prudence or phronesis; the ability to reason was given from God as a result of being created imago dei.
- Through application of reason, one is able to access and develop synderesis, the natural inclination we have to “do good and avoid evil”. Aquinas highlights that “synderesis is not a power but a natural habit”, which allows us to apply moral rules.
- Therefore conscientia is the practical outworking of synderesis, in order to make and apply moral judgements. Conscience “is not a power, but an act… knowledge applied to individual cases” (‘Summa Theologica’), much like Flecther’s understanding – a verb, not a noun whereas intuitive theological conceptions of the conscience, as “voice of God”, fail to explain how religious people have differing moral judgements on cases such as abortion (with some being pro-life, and others pro-choice), the Thomist can explain this through differing balances of ratio, synderesis and conscientia
