Conscience

Conscience Christian views Secular views Roman II:XV Conscience is described as "the requirement of the law", written by those who are not within law 5chleirmacher We use the term conscience to express the fact that all modes of activity issuing from our God-consciousness and subject to it's prompting confront us as moral demands, not indeed theoretically, but asserting themselves in our self conciousness in such a way that any deviation of our conduct from them is apprehended as a hinderence to life, and therefore as sin [...] conscience is also markedly traced to devine causality, and, as the voice of god within, is held to be an original revelation of god; it is one of those inward experiences that we may assume to be universal in this sphere ...zzzzzz Effectivly, a conscience is a person is a masifistation of god going against it is a SIN Two important things Freedom Knowledge of the good without freedom, conscience makes no sence insane to think that it is wrong to do somthing impossible conscience implies knowledge of the good Proffessor of Philosophy and Theology at Berlin 1768-1834 Jean Piaget Lawrence Kohnlberg Joseph Butler John Henry Newman Erich Fromm Combined psycological and social factors. Examined stages of child development until 10, took moral purposefrom their reletives Beyond ten, developed their own moral reasoning FREUD Belived that Concience is linked to guilt when we feel bad, that's a post hoc thing Rather than it being a voice it's just a feeling also implies mechanical reaction Thomas Aquinas believed that concience is what aided our decisions in right and wrong SYNDERESIS CONCIENTIA What is good What our conscience says What our conscience says can sometimes be wrong, as it only gives us the best answer that we could possibly have. This creates the phenomenon of REAL and APPARENT good. Some christians reject this, as it does not allow for a conscience that is a direct link to god well, they would, wouldn't they? Two opposing Theories Authoritarian Humanistic Morality is decided by a higher power e.g. god or monarch Morality is created on one's own rules are then internalised by the individual Therefore, guilty consciences are created by displeasing authority explains groups like National Socialists individuals asses their own self worth Opposite of dear of displeasing authority Can work in conjunction with VoG ideas basically, Piaget but with more stages