Conscience F Murphy

Do you have an conscience?

Conscience Q. What is conscience??? A. The ability to distinguish between right from wrong and good from evil.

Conscience Conscience is one of the things that distinguishes us from animals.

Problem of Definition Conscience is about: Self-judgment: guilt, bad/good conscience Adhering to a set of Moral Principles: as in conscientious objectors, matter of conscience Discovering moral truths: voice of God within, voice of reason Examining our motives and actions: as in lacking in conscience or have an over sensitive conscience

Problem of Definition Reflects on moral behaviour Latin = conscientia = to know with OED definition a moral sense of right and wrong as felt by a person and affecting their behaviour an inner feeling as to the goodness or otherwise of one’s behaviour Thus Conscience: Reflects on moral behaviour Directs moral behaviour

Questions remain… Is there such a thing as a Conscience? Do all people have it? Where does it come from? How does it operate? Is it innate? Is it God-given? Is it the voice of God Is it always right? Should it always be obeyed? Does it develop?

5 Views of Conscience GAS UP

5 Views of Conscience God-given Instilled by Authority figures Instilled by Society Innate within Us Instilled by our Parents

God-given? At conception or at some later stage, God gives each person a conscience to be able to discern morally between right and wrong.

Instilled by Authority figures? Conscience is the product of all the authority figures around us including parents, teachers, strong characters in peer group, ministers of religion etc. Role models may be provided to the person – mostly positive but sometimes negative.

Instilled by Society? Conscience is the product of society’s expectations. The person’s conscience reflects the values and rules of society.

Innate within Us? It is not dependent on Culture, Environment, Genetic predisposition, Education, the Unconscious mind, but is part of the person when created or how the brain is wired by genetics due to evolutionary development. Since all thus have the same innate conscience all should therefore follow the same principles.

Instilled by our Parents? Conscience is the product of the person’s first moral teachers – its parent/s. Even later morally reasoned decisions are significantly reinforced by upbringing and influences in early years.

What do you think?

ST. AUGUSTINE (334-430) Conscience = the Voice of God whispering to us inwardly Whispering about what is right and what is wrong

ST. AUGUSTINE (334-430) “Return to your conscience, question it…turn inward” Sense of moral right and wrong is preserved in the conscience which is: “The book of light which is called Truth”

ST. AUGUSTINE (334-430) Augustine seems to have identified the conscience as being within us Intuitively we seek what brings us closer to what the whispering voice of God asks of us

Reflect… Note that Augustine describes the Voice of God as whispering. What does that imply? What are the problems with arguing that Conscience is the Voice of God within?

What do you think?

FREUD (1856-1939)

FREUD (1856-1939) Key to human behaviour = people’s instincts and desires ID = behaves instinctively EGO = rational self with which to interact with society SUPEREGO = “inner parent” which controls behaviour and which develops last

DEVELOPMENT OF CONSCIENCE Parents encourage good behaviour & punish bad behaviour of a child = moral development of child Child anxious to avoid displeasure of parents. This anxiety is felt when the child considers an immoral act. Parents wouldn’t approve!

DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSCIENCE The anxiety is linked in the male to his psycho-sexual development & the Oedipus Complex Feelings of anger towards the father and sexual attraction towards the mother are repressed into the unconscious mind The result is feelings of GUILT and the construction of the superego

Which is the basis for neuroses and guilt SUPEREGO The Superego can be the rewarding parent BUT more likely to be THE PUNISHING PARENT Which is the basis for neuroses and guilt

SUPEREGO For Freud religious people integrated this guilt in response to their ideas about God Non-religious people integrated this guilt in response to other sources of external authority – the government, family, society.

So what is Conscience according to Freud? A person’s experiences impact on the development of the superego A person’s experiences make him who he is Each individual’s “conscience” is shaped by the person’s own experiences and early development.

So what is Conscience according to Freud? Post-Freudian analysis tends to distinguish 2 types of “conscience”: Immature Conscience = guilt feelings from pre-rational stage, backward looking Which should lead to… Mature Conscience = dynamic, responsive, focused on the future

Reflect… Does Freud’s explanation of the Conscience remove God from the picture? How much sense does his theory make?

Discuss: “You are not in a position to judge me; if I am following my conscience then that is right for me.” How would you respond to someone making that claim?

Conclude Is conscience the product of cultural and/or genetic influences? Does conscience have a divine origin? How do Christian ideas about the conscience differ? Is the conscience a sound moral guide? How does conscience fit into the Free Will and Determinism debate?