Conscience Notes ( brief summary)

Conscience Notes

Aquinas: Conscience isn’t inner knowledge of what’s right and wrong but rather a device or faculty for distinguishing right from wrong actions. When people do wrong their following apparent goods instead of real goods, however we can’t always be right otherwise we wouldn’t learn from our mistakes. Furthermore if our morals are wrong our sense of conscience will be wrong.

Butler: Conscience directs us towards focusing on the happiness and interests of others instead of focusing on ourselves. Conscience has ultimate authority in ethical judgements. Conscience is a guide to moral behaviour, put there by God and it must be obeyed. If conscience commands you must obey without questioning and without considering alternatives.

Newman: Conscience is the voice of God “I toast the pope but I toast conscience first.”

Fromm: All humans are influenced by external authorities who apply rules and punishments for breaking them, these are…