Conscience - 1294 Words

Thomas Aquinas gave a simple definition of conscience when he called it ‘the faculty of reason making moral judgements’. From this, conscience is simply a rational faculty that enables us to understand right from wrong. The faculty works on the basis of knowledge, first a knowledge of moral principles enshrined in natural law, and ideally a knowledge of diving law as revealed in the Bible. However, Aquinas recognised that conscience is by no means an infallible voice. We can have a mistaken, erroneous or uninformed conscience, and it is a moral obligation in itself to have an informed conscience. Aquinas, like Joseph Butler, believed that we have a capacity to grasp at a basic level the moral principles that should govern the right†¦show more content†¦If Freud is right, conscience is only a temporary restraint that remains tied to our dependence on the superego. Reality, however, shows that conscience is not so easily got rid of and the force of its voice is su ch that it has to be reckoned with at the moral, not just the emotional level. The breakdown of the relationships that form the superego does not mean the disappearance of moral values. We continue to hear the voice of conscience long after we have outgrown the parental or social values that we originally inherited. Aquinas and Butler would, of course, accept that conscience has an important social dimension, but would see this as following from the fact that human nature is also social. For Aquinas, the social aspect of conscience is one of essential aspects, since the common good is an important ethical consideration. To this extent, both would agree with Freud. However, they would insist that the values sensed by conscience are more profoundly based than by merely socially imposed conventions. For them, conscience is the faculty that alerts us, through nature and reason, to the moral values that shape our moral identity as human beings. If this is the case, Freud’s theory dissolves into superficiality. For J.H. Newman, conscience was more than a socially conditioned response system. Conscience was the voice of reason and nature but it was also the voice of God. Newman held that the insistent force of conscience suggests that there is someoneShow MoreRelated‘Conscience Is the Voice of God’ Discuss.1152 Words   |  5 Pages‘Conscience is the voice of god’ Discuss. Most people would agree that conscience is the reasoned voice inside us that guides and tells us what we should and shouldn’t do. However peoples views on the origins of conscience can differ a lot; whether people belief its Gods doing or whether it’s innate or even whether it is acquired. In this essay I will be showing the viewpoints of various philosophers with their beliefs on whether conscience is or isn’t the voice of God. Ultimately I believeRead MoreObedience to Authority vs. Personal Conscience Essay862 Words   |  4 PagesStanley Milgram, conducted a study focusing on the conflict between obedience to authority and personal conscience. According to the study Migram suggested â€Å"that obedience we naturally show authority figures can transform us into agents of terror† (Migram, 1974/1994, p. 214). Milgram experiment was developed for the justification of the act of genocide in World War II. Many of the accomplices in the Holocaust said they were following in order given by Adolf Eichmann. Obedience to superiors is builtRead MoreThe Conscience And Moral Conscience1418 Words   |  6 Pageslove of our neighbors, and it is the job of every conscience to help guide us to making the right choice. Every day, we are faced with choices that are immoral and moral. Our conscience helps us solve the problems, especially when it comes to dealing with good or bad. Our conscience is connected to God because everyone in the world knows, deep down, that they are to be and do good, and this obligation could come only from God. I think that our conscience is a very real thing, and it plays a large roleRead MoreRichard Iii/Looking for Richard Essay1179 Words   |  5 Pagesinherent. A scrutiny of the contradictory forces of humanism and determinism and the function of women as demonstrated by both texts imparts an incongruity of context. Difference is thus conveyed. Conversely, an acknowledgement of the strength of conscience common to both texts suggests an inherent influence. Thus it is through inspection of the prescribed texts that one may distinguish the degree to which the texts converge on inherent matters and diverge on contextual matters. The contradictoryRead MoreNatural Greatness : A Mind Shift1549 Words   |  7 Pageswhile trying to maintain the illusion of her self-righteousness. What separates the person of goodness from the person of greatness? In a word, we could say conscience. But that word is perhaps too common or simplistic. Further, most of us assume that we know what conscience is. What is conscience? Consider that the word, conscience, was invented to name a universal human dynamic. In other words, it was obvious that human beings everywhere have some sense of right and wrong, which influencesRead More The Bean Trees Essay1131 Words   |  5 Pagesare likely to be deported, and could face death in Guatemala. But she is breaking the law by taking illegal immigrants out of Arizona. Yet her conscience and her heart are involved. She cares for these people, and must take them to where they will be safe. Love and concern for others as well as her own self-respect allow her to act with a good conscience. She knows the nature of the risks she is taking, but goes ahead anyway. amp;#9;For everything Taylor now does involves breaking the law, inRead MoreSymbolism that Represents the Theme of Corruption in Shakespeares MacBeth1043 Words   |  5 Pagesmore, returning were as tedious as go oer†¦ (pg. 57) this symbolizes that the guilt Macbeth feels and compares it to swimming in blood, but he has already reached the point of no return. As Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and attempting to clear her conscience, she says, Heres the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand†¦ (pg. 84) This symbolizes that nothing can remove the guilt and pain of the murders that she and Macbeth have committed. This thus establishesRead MoreEssay on Guilt In The Scarlet Letter And The Crucible987 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent personal problem and with each character’s guilt comes a different reaction. Miller and Hawthorne use the source of guilt, the actions resulting from it and the eventual consequences to portray the concept of a guilty conscience to the reader.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Each character’s guilt originates from a different source. Through different characters, Hawthorne and Miller display guilt andRead More Symbolism In Macbeth1097 Words   |  5 Pagestedious as go oerÂ… (III. iv. 167-169) this symbolises that symbolises the guilt Macbeth feels and compares it to swimming in blood, but he has already reached the point of no return. As Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking and attempting to clear her conscience, she says, Heres the smell of blood still: all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little handÂ… (V. i. 46-48) This symbolises that nothing can remove the guilt and pain of the murders that she and Macbeth have committed. This thus establishesRead MoreSummary Of What Is Meant By Telling The Truth? 1220 Words   |  5 Pagesbecomes guilty.† Bonhoeffer does admit a challenge to his notion, namely that of the â€Å"conscience.† He refutes this self-raised objection on theological grounds for the conscience is â€Å"the attempt of the ego who knows good and evil to justify itself to God, to others and to itself.† The need of the conscience is for it to be freed by Christ for the service of God and neighbour. The autonomous nature of the conscience needs to be redeemed into fellowship with Christ. This being said, Schliesser questions