A2 Religious Ethics- Conscience

Front 1

What does it mean to have a conscience?

Back 1

To have a moral inclination towards right or wrong within us.

Front 2

What does Mark Twain say about Conscience, and how can this be interpreted?

Back 2

'I have noticed my conscience for many years, and I know that it is more trouble and bother to me than anything else I started with'.
This could be interpreted as having a conscience which developed over time. Social conditioning makes our conscience impure.

Front 3

How can conscience interfere with moral dilemmas?

Back 3

Your conscience can make the difference between making a good or bad decision. Sometimes your conscience may interpret something as ethical, but in the conventions of society it may be viewed as immoral. This leads to the notion of a flawed conscience.

Front 4

What are the two different views to Conscience?

Back 4

1) The Religious view: conscience is God-given.

2) The Secular view: Our conscience developed due to our social conditioning or psychological makeup.

Front 5

How may your conscience reflect the laws of the society you live in?

Back 5

Laws in your society may lead one to view certain actions as immoral or moral.
E.g. a society living by Sharia law would have strong views on the morality of homosexuality.

Front 6

What is Aquinas' approach to Conscience?

Back 6

Conscience is your natural ability of people to understand the difference between right and wrong.
Naturally, we all aim for what is good and avoid what is bad.
This is called the Synderesis Rule.

Front 7

Explain Aquinas' views on Conscience.

Back 7

He appreciates that different societies have different views on morality, but we should always follow our conscience, although our conscience might be wrong.
Synderesis: the natural aim for good.
Conscientia: the actual ethical judgement.

Front 8

Explain Butler's approach to Conscience.

Back 8

Conscience distinguishes man from animal as we reflect on actions.
The ability to prove/disprove actions is conscience working.
Conscience determines the rightness or wrongness of actions.
Our conscience is authoritative and automatic.
Human nature is hierarchical with conscience at the top.

Front 9

What are the attributes of conscience according to Butler?

Back 9

Self-love, God-given, Reflection, Benevolence, Drive for food.
Conscience must always be obeyed to be happy.
Mistakes made by conscience is not problematic.
It is wrong to blind one's conscience- more evil than resultant consequences.

Front 10

Explain Newman's approach to Conscience.

Back 10

Conscience is the messenger of God and is more than 'Law of mind'.
Best detects the truth and does not invent it.
Hippo identified conscience with the voice of God.
When listening, we are hearing God.

Front 11

What is Freud's approach to Conscience?

Back 11

Conscience is guilt, there is no soul as the mind is mechanistic.
No absolute moral laws, they are shaped by our experiences- culturally dependant.
The Superego- Set of moral controls from outside.
The ego- the conscious self seen by the outside world
The id- the unconscious self, the part of the mind containing basic drives and repressed memories. It is amoral.

Front 12

What are the strengths and weaknesses of Freud's approach to Conscience?

Back 12

Strength: It mirrors natural human behaviour to always consider one's self.

Weakness: What makes us ourselves then? The soul has no purpose in the afterlife.

Front 13

What is Vincent MacNamara's view on Conscience?

Back 13

Conscience is not a piece of equipment.
False to view conscience as an inner voice as it is not seperate.
It is better to see it as an attitude or an awareness that life and true human living does not revolve around profit and pleasure.
Goodness and truth are important.
Conscience is who we are- our views of the world.

Front 14

How can we argue that MacNamara's view of Conscience rejects a moral code of action?

Back 14

There is no common moral code if our conscience is linked to individuality.
If truth is important why does conscience lead us to lie sometimes?
Some profits and pleasures are to achieve the aims of goodness and truth.

Front 15

Explain Richard Gula's view on Conscience.

Back 15

To consider conscience in terms of laws is misleading.
Vision and Choice- the ability to act, within a learned framework, through the needs of a Christian community and Christian understanding.
The various communities we develop in influence or conscience.
Conscience is responding to the world in which we live.

Front 16

What is Jean Piaget's view on Conscience?

Back 16

Moral development depends on cognitive development.
Heteronomous morality: age 5-10- immature conscience, follow rules and the consequences of an action will show if it's right or wrong.
Autonomous morality: age 10+ -develop own rules and understand how they operate to help society. The child is less dependent on others for moral authority.

Front 17

How does Kohlberg follow Jean Piaget's views on Conscience?

Back 17

He identified six stages of moral development which individuals follow in sequence.
1)Obedience and punishment orientation figures to gain approval
2)Self-interest orientation
3)Interpersonal accord and conformity
4)Authority and social-order maintaining orientation
5)Social contract orientation
6)Universal ethical principles

Front 18

What is Erich Fromm's first approach to Conscience?

Back 18

The Authoritarian Conscience- all humans are influenced by external authorities who apply rules and punishment. These rules are internalised by the individual.
A guilty conscience is the result of displeasing authority and, if that authority is God, the fear of being rejected will have powerful influence.
The manipulation of the German people by Nazi government is the authoritarian conscience.

Front 19

What is Erich Fromm's second approach to Conscience?

Back 19

The Humanistic Conscience-
We use it to judge how successful we are as people. It is our real self and leads us to realise our potential.
We use our discoveries and examples of others to give us personal integrity and moral honesty.

Front 20

What does Vernon Ruland say about Conscience?

Back 20

Tries to find a 'via media' between rationalism and uncritical Divine Command thory.
Sees a moral decision as reflecting an 'ethics of loyal scrutiny' enriched by many sources of moral and religious wisdom.
God invoked in our conscience is not the exclusive property of Christians.

Front 21

How does Timothy O'Connell see Conscience?

Back 21

Three aspects:
1) Our general sense of personal responsibility for who we are and what we become.
2)Our sense of obligation to search out the good, using all the resources of moral reasoning available to us. Wrong judgements can be made.
3) The concrete judgement someone makes so that good as he sees it must be done. Conscience is infallible

Front 22

How does Daniel Maguire agree with O'Connell?

Back 22

He adds we need to consider the place of creative imagination , humour and the tragic experiences of life, as these open us up to new perceptions of value.
Conscience based on more than human reason; shared experiences of the past and of culture.

Front 23

How important is Conscience as a moral guide?

Back 23

Christians believe conscience is important in moral decision-making and must always be followed.
Aquinas believed following conscience was important as it is a deep sense of right and wrong from God.
However, there is no guarantee that one is always doing the right thing.

Front 24

What are some of the problems with Conscience?

Back 24

If we were always certain that Conscience is in fact God's command, then we would never error.
some may argue that we have not built up a sufficiently sensitive conscience to hear God's voice clearly.
Deciding what the right thing to do is not always as clear-cut as 'the voice of God' definition suggests.
People argue that both reason and emotions are involved in the workings of conscience. We feel 'pangs of conscience' after doing the wrong thing.
Enda McDonagh says: 'Conscience reproaches us when we have done wrong, gives us peace when we have done well.'
Conscience appears to exist simultaneously as a seperate entity.
Conscience implies personal responsibilty- Jack Mahoney wrote 'When I say 'my conscience tells me' all I am really saying is 'I think'.

Front 25

Is Conscience innate or acquired?

Back 25

Conscience needs freedom and knowledge of good to work successfully.
If it is innate we would expect everyone to have a similar conscience.
People have different ideas of what is right when faced with a moral situation- different priniciples.
Where are these prinicples derived from?
Is conscience more of a skill? Does it need to be developed?
The skill is innate but the moral principles that guide it are acquired.