Conscience - Thomas Aquinas' Views
- Created by: mariam26
- Created on: 28-03-21 14:23
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- Conscience - Thomas Aquinas' Views
- How did Aquinas develop his notion of conscience?
- In developing his notion of conscience, Aquinas took a theological but reasoned approach
- E.G. how God has instilled reason in us
- He also developed the ideas of Aristotle such as the question of moral responsibility
- In developing his notion of conscience, Aquinas took a theological but reasoned approach
- Ratio (reason)
- Has been placed in each person as a result of being created by God
- In the context of conscience, this reason is practical and requires careful judgement or individual circumstances
- Aquinas’ notion of practica ratio is the use of reason in practice
- It is always situational
- Prudence
- Aquinas believed that one size does not fit all situations
- Prudence involves 3 intellectual skills
- Understanding
- Judgement
- Good Deliberation
- We should use judgement to choose what we ought to do in each situation
- Synderesis
- Natural inclination to do good and avoid evil which applies to everyone and is part of God’s wil
- An action can never be wrong if you wish to do good and avoid evil
- Just because we seek to do good and avoid evil does not always lead to right action
- Natural inclination to do good and avoid evil which applies to everyone and is part of God’s wil
- Moral Responsibility
- Aquinas considered two factors that might excuse someone from being blamed for an action
- Ignorance
- Lack of choice
- Furthermore, to commit a sin, one needs full knowledge and full consent
- Aquinas considered two factors that might excuse someone from being blamed for an action
- Vincible and Invincible Ignorance
- Vincibily Ignorant
- Aquinas said that if someone is vincibily ignorant they are blameworthy because it is avoidable and correctable
- Like drunk driving
- Aquinas said that if someone is vincibily ignorant they are blameworthy because it is avoidable and correctable
- Invincibly Ignorant
- Invincible ignorance is something that we couldn’t possibly know - like the consequences of all our actions
- Like a child doing something wrong
- Invincible ignorance is something that we couldn’t possibly know - like the consequences of all our actions
- Aquinas and Aristotle thought that ignorance is forgivable and should not be punishable
- Vincibily Ignorant
- Criticisms of Aquinas
- Does not account for the extent to which our moral reasoning is influenced by our upbringing and the society that we live in
- Some disagree that conscience is the mind making decisions but that it comes directly from God
- Similar Views
- St. Augustine's views about conscience also involved God
- Augustine believed that conscience is the direct voice of God
- Whereas Aquinas saw conscience as reasoned not intuitive
- Augustine believed that conscience is the direct voice of God
- St. Augustine's views about conscience also involved God
- How did Aquinas develop his notion of conscience?
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