The conscience Flashcards
1
Q
How many views
A
7
2
Q
Key philosophers
A
Augustine
Newman
Butler
Aquinas
3
Q
Key psychologists
A
Freud
Piaget
Fromm
4
Q
Augustine’s view
A
- Literally God whispering to you
- Intuitive
- Authority with the divine
- To disobey it is sinful
5
Q
Newman’s view
A
- Messenger from God helps us to decide what to do
- Rational
- Authority may be with God or another figure
- We fear displeasing that authority figure
6
Q
Butler’s View
A
- God-given conscience
- Intuitive
- Authority with God
- To disobey the conscience is to disobey God and is worse that the act you commit when disobeying
7
Q
Aquinas’ view
A
- We all have natural law within us and an inclination to do good (synderesis)
- Intuitive
- Authority with the divine as he created us
- We do wrong as we follow apparent goods
8
Q
Freud’s view
A
- Pre-rational function of the unconscious mind
- Intuitive
- The ID is the selfish part which demands things
- The ego responds to the ID and tries to satisfy it in a socially acceptable way
- The superego punishes the ego with feelings of guilt
- Authority comes from society and the respective feelings of guilt
9
Q
Piaget’s view
A
- Children develop the ability to think about morality at age 11
- Until then we rely on a heteronymous morality
- We then develop an autonomous morality
- So authority either comes from an adult figure and fear of punishment or ourselves and feelings of guilt
10
Q
Heteronymous morality
A
We are taught what to do through reward or punishment
11
Q
Autonomous morality
A
We are kept in line through feelings of guilt
12
Q
Fromm’s view
A
Nazi Germany:
- Conscience is authoritarian and is derived from the fear of displeasing authority, leading to guilt, leading to a further submission to authority
Later ideas:
- Conscience is humanitarian and results from free-will and the drive to achieve self-actualisation
- So authority comes from within ourselves
