BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Part Two ENTER

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race I. AuthorAuthor II. Human ConscienceHuman Conscience III. Attitudes Toward ConscienceAttitudes Toward Conscience Background Information

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Mark Twain ( ) was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri, but lived as a child in Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. He took the pen name Mark Twain from the call of the pilots on the river steamers, which indicated that the water was twelve feet deep, a safe depth for a steamer. I.Author To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race During his early years, he worked as a riverboat pilot, newspaper reporter, printer, and gold prospector. But then he turned to writing, and became one of the greatest of American writers. Although his popular image is as the author of such humorous works as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I.Author To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Twain had the other side that may have resulted from the bitter experiences of his life: financial failure and the death of his wife and daughters. His last writings are savage, satiric, and pessimistic. The present text is taken from Letters from the Earth, one of his later works. I.Author The end of Author.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Through conscience and its related notion, synderesis, human beings discern what is right and wrong. While there are many medieval views about the nature of conscience, most views regard human beings as capable of knowing in general what ought to be done and applying this knowledge through conscience to particular decisions about action. The ability to act on the determinations of conscience is, moreover, tied to the development of the moral virtues, which in turn refines the functions of conscience. II.Human Conscience To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Neither Plato nor Aristotle explicitly mention conscience, however. It is their discussions of the virtues, practical wisdom, and weakness of will that form the critical backdrop to medieval discussions of conscience. These discussions were heavily influenced by Augustine’s modification of these classical authors. For example, Augustine championed Plato’s notion of the unity of the virtues, but he argued that love of God provided the unity to them. Moreover, he claimed that what pagan authors regarded as virtues were in fact vices unless they were developed for the love of God. II.Human Conscience To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Aristotle’s conscience can be defined as possessing three distinct characteristics. Firstly, the conscience is intrinsic, although to varying degrees between individuals. Secondly, the conscience is imperfect. Lastly, the conscience is a source of good in the world. Stringing these elements together, a working definition of the conscience can be constructed as follows: The conscience is an innate sense of right and wrong that functions for social betterment. II.Human Conscience To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race As this definition takes into account only one perspective, it can hardly be considered adequate. Henry David Thoreau provides an excellent opportunity to expand it. In his essay entitled Civil Disobedience, Thoreau defines two primary characteristics of the conscience, although in a different light from Aristotle. While both examine conscience in terms of a functional government, Thoreau takes a more idealistic approach. II.Human Conscience To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Given that the conscience is intrinsic, imperfect, beneficial, imperative, rare, punitive, and rigid, the conclusive definition might be constructed as follows: The conscience is an innate sense of right and wrong that creates a strict sense of guilt when violated and that, in its truest form, performs a vital role in social and personal betterment. It is a mechanism that evaluates the worthiness of our desires, urges, and actions. It is a moral compass that points to goodness and excellence. II.Human Conscience The end of Human Conscience.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race III.Attitudes Toward Conscience Try to hear your conscience. To bypass the chatter of negative thoughts, raging emotions, and tempestuous temptations, you will need to spend some quiet time with yourself. Your conscience is your best friend. Relax in a comfortable chair, without distraction, and give it the opportunity to speak to you. With patience and practice, your conscience will always be at your side, available for guidance. To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race III.Attitudes Toward Conscience Learn to think before you act. Instead of acting in the heat of the moment, pause; think things over, and act rationally and morally rather than emotionally. Faced with a choice, choose to do the right thing, to be responsible. Develop sensitivity with constant awareness and practice. A highly refined conscience reacts to wrongdoing as quickly as an eyelid reacts to dust. To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race III.Attitudes Toward Conscience Remember that the voice of conscience is not a suggestion, but an obligation. Also remember that to know what is right and not do it is as bad as doing wrong. Judge your progress by your actions, not your good intentions. To be continued on the next page.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race III.Attitudes Toward Conscience Evaluate your motives. Don’t do good for acclaim or happiness, but because it is the right thing to do. Gain liberation by becoming the master of your life. Do this by becoming the slave of your conscience. The freedom you will gain is not the right to do what you want, but the power to do what you ought. The end of Attitudes Toward Conscience.

BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Part Two This is the end of Part Two. Please click HOME to visit other parts. HOME