Conscience Flashcards
Freud’s psychological approach
Freud proposes that the part of ourselves that the world sees and of which we have most awareness is our ego.
This is reflected in our language when we sometimes say that he or she has a big ego
Fromm
Fromm defined conscience in 2 ways:
- Conscience is authoritarian, derived from a fear of dis-pleasing authority, which led to guilt, causing greater submission to authority
However Fromm saw the ways Nazis manipulated conscience leading people to become rigid to authority - We all have the ability to judge and evaluate our behavior and ourselves as people, making us our own authority figures
Piaget
Piaget doesn’t explicitly develop a theory on conscience but he looked at child development that can apply to conscience
Until the age of 11 children aren’t able to think abstractly, this includes thinking morally.
Until then therefore we must rely on others telling us
Prior to the age of 11 we have a hetronymous morality, where right conduct’ us enforced by the expectation of punishment or reward
After 11 we develop an autonomous morality, which draws in social norms and an appreciation of consequences
Freud
Conscience is nether an intuitive nor rationalist, instead it is a pre-rational function of the unconscience mind.
Human personality and behavior are determined by 3 structures in the mind: id, ego and super ego
Freud-
Id, ego & super ego
Id: Selfish part of the personality demands instant gratification
Ego: part of the personality which responds to the id, attempting to satisfy its demands in socially acceptable ways
Super ego: where the conscience is found and it is is found and it is a punishing force, punishing the ego with feelings of guilt.
Conscience is a construct of the mind responding to an externally imposed authority by internalizing disapproval of others
St. Augustine
Conscience was literally the voice of God, informing us of what is right and wrong and this message is received intuitively.
All good comes from God and God knows our actions and the choices behind those actions directly
Cardinal Newman
Our nature means we have a conscience, which is a voice from God telling is what to do.
Unlike Augustine Newman took a less literal approach, considering conscience to be a messenger from God, rather than God literally speaking to us.
Conscience is a truth detector rather than a truth inventor
Butler
Conscience is a process intuitive judgement against conflicting desires, rather than a rational reflection (God given)
Aquinas and Butler both agree that conscience gives us free will as we make our own decisions
Augustine is omniscient- removes free will from decision making
Butler believes that conscience underlies what it is to be human- whose who against it are less than human
Conscience is innate and doesn’t need to be consulted as it “magisterially exerts itself”
Aquinas
Conscience is a theological account but not a voice of divine command- nor it is a little voice that knows what to do
Aquinas sees a close connection between practical reason and conscience
Aquinas
Ratio
Irenaues-
Reason that is placed by God in humanity, crating them in his image
In order to use reason- need to develop the virtue of prudence
Aquinas
Synderesis
Aquinas believes that God gives us a natural inclination to want to do good and avoid evil
Much of life involves habits- develops goof habits
Men and women should be responsible to and for their conscience
Aquinas
Vincible v invincible ignorance
One must make a moral decision and not explore the knowledge which they are responsible for learning
However Aquinas does recognize that one may have invincible ignorance when they do not have all the information
Aquinas
Conscientia
It is the power of our reason to make ethical or moral decisions
The practical application of syndersis
Fletcher uses this when he uses conscience as a verb nit a noun
Conscience might on occasion be fallible and not the infallible voice of God, due to possibility of invincible ignorance
