Why Is Conscience Not A Reliable Guide When Making Moral Decisions Flashcards
Ted Bundy, Ian Brady
Some people may appear to have no conscience,no sense of having to follow the norms of their society, the laws of god, or the dictates of reason
E.g. bundy and Brady bee lived they weren’t doing anything wrong which hows how conscience varies drastically from one person to another. What feels right to one person may be considered morally/socially wrong to another. If everyone relied solely on their conscience, it will lead to chaos
Aquinas view on the conscience for moral decision making
Believed that we can arrive at moral decisions using our god given faculty of reasoning combined with syneresis rule( geared towards the good and avoid evil)
We can use reason to determine that telling lies is wrong as it causes chaos in society
Examples of how fletcher would disagree with aquinas in a situation
Imagine an axe murdere comes to ur door and asks where your friend is cuz he needs to find them and kill them. You know ur friend is in the kitchen.
In this case, aquinas would say you should tell the axe murderer where ur friend is because lying would cause chaos
Fletcher= you shouldn’t tell them where ur friend is instead u should lie as the results would demonstrate agape love and lead to the most loving outcome
What would Durkheim suggest about lying
Societal norms dictate that lying is wrong and should be avoided. It is easier to follow this blanket rule and never lie than to determine whether or not the lie is the right thing to do in every situation
Society consistently reaffirms the principle that lying is wrong and praises truthfulness into every aspect of our everyday life
E.g. in England, the banknotes carry a formal decoration, a promise to pay the bearer, symbolising the societal expectations of honesty
Why does Freud allow lying and say that lying isn’t a moral issue
Lying is simply mimicking rules and values previously learnt from parents and other figures of authority so therefore, LYING IS ONLY BAD IF YOUR PARENTS TOLD U IT IS
E.g. if ur parents taught u that lying is bad, the superego will make u feel guilty if u lie.
As the superego has come from social conditioning from parents through guilt,not everyone will come to the same conclusion
What would kohlberg say about lying
According to his stages of development, people at the pre conventional stage will view lying as wrong because it leads to punishment.
Conventional stage, lying is wrong because it harms relationships or violates societal rules.
Post conventional= people at this stage could debate whether to change the traditional strict rules on lying. Lying would be justified if it serves a higher purpose, such as protecting HR preserving dignity and ensuring justice
Example of when adultery is permissible
Ms bergmeier where the only way to reunite w her family and escape the prison camp was to be terminally ill or be pregnant.
Therefore, her conscience told her that adultery would be justified in this situation as it serves a higher loving purpose
Why can the conscience be manipulated
Manipulated out of fear, anger and bigotry/discrimination
E.g. hitler brainswashing civilian
