Conscience Flashcards
(26 cards)
What is Aquinas’ summary of conscience?
‘The mind of man making moral judgements’w
What is ratio?
our ability to reason and make moral judgements
how does aquinas differ from his contemporary?
doesnt believe conscience is a special power or part of our mind
who has ratio?
humans only - as we deliberate over moral matters, so ratio is funamental to being created in imago dei
how does ratio help us?
helps us understand divine(and eternal?) law
does ratio lead to justice?
ratio does not mean following the laws of the land, we are able to go beyond this (like jesus, the liberator from political oppression)
ratio reaches beyond societal norms and gains us a higher morality
what is synderisis?
every human has this principle - the process of conscience, guided by ratio
directs us towards good and away from evil - it is a ‘habit’
BUT sexuality within us tempts us to do evil
- but humans will go towards good rather than evil (less pessimistic than augustine)
what is conscientia
conscience in action
used when ratio informs synderesis and results in the acting
what does aquinas say (which helps link to conscientia as an act)
‘it is clear that conscience is act’
appears to be the only person in debate who talks about conscience in action, rather than just the process
what does aquinas say about ignorance?
mistakes can be made as knowledge can be incorrect
so if your ignorance is “genuine” and you believe you are doing the right thing, you are morally blameless
what is vincible ignorance?
a lack of knowledge where you are morally responsible
what is invincible ignorance?
a lack of knowledge where you are not morally responsible
what example does aquinas give?
about adultery - mistaking people
positives of aquinas?
highly ifnluential - catholic catechism states ‘(conscience) formulates its judgement according to reason’
gives explanation to why conscience can sometimes be incorrect
biblical support
everyone can experience reason - even atheist
negatives of aquinas?
good intentions hard to decipher and are irrelevant in the legal system (i.e. euthanasia)
assumes good and evil are objective
religious theory
can conscience conflict with reason? i.e. seeing someone drowning but not being a confident swimmer
what does freud say are the psychosexual stages?
oral
anal
phallic - oedipus/electra complex
latency
genital
what are the three aspects of human personality?
id, ego, superego
what is the id?
entirely unconscious
central component of personality
powerful, instinctive, primative
driven by pleasure
seeks immediate gratification
what is the ego?
mediates the desire versus social acceptability
reality principle
SO, good conscience is an effective operation of the ego over the id
what is the superego?
stores all of our internalised moral standards of right and wrong due to behaviorism (being rewarded for doing right and wrong by parents and society)
stops us from breaking rules due to fear of punishment, criticisms, guilt
SO, conscience is just guilt
frued quote about the superego
the superego ‘observes the ego, gives it orders … exactly like the parents’
positives of frued
not reliant on god
guilt is more personal (and aligns with humans as emotive being) than ratio
psychoanalysis still used today
(similar to plato’s three aspects of a soul)
clear that parents/environment affect our morals and ethicals idea (cultural relativism)
recognises the importance of childhood
criticisms of freud
cocaine abuse
(similar to plato’s three aspects of a soul)
based on heterosexual couple as parents- what about single parents? gayzzz?
unethical and unscientific case studies
if parents are immoral, child is immoral = lack of freewill
ignores later life experiences
freud on guilt?
guilt leads to bad things not bad things lead to guilt
