Download Conscience

Chapter Three - Conscience:
The Self in Search of the Good
This chapter explores Catholic ethical and moral theory from the
perspective of philosophical anthropology.
There are six aspects of the human person that are important for
ethics:
1-The Importance of Others (…our ‘brother’s keepers’…)
It’s critical that we find a healthy balance between the love of oneself
and the love of others. We are relational beings; we need one
another to be whole. Caring for others allows us to realize this truth.
(make sure you have a definition for Narcissism in your notes…)
2-The Importance of Having a
Direction in Life
My identity lies first in a commitment to
certain values. (moral stance) It then,
naturally reveals itself in the direction I
take in life. This direction now has
greater meaning and focus for me, as
it has been built upon the foundation of
my values. It’s critical that I ‘stand’ for
something and that I know where I
stand.
3-The Importance of Communication and Language
We can discover whom we are through discussions with certain
‘partners’ who know us, who have wisdom, or with whom we have
many things and experiences in common. A common language
empowers us symbolically, through words, to share ourselves in
meaningful ways, so that others will understand us. “We need wide
vision, high symbols and the right words to turn the seeming poverty
of our ordinary lives into the stuff of faith and poetry.” (Rolheiser,
2004)
4-The Importance of Character and one’s Body In many ways, it is
through the physical body that we are able to express our human
qualities and traits. Character is developed from repeated
demonstrations of these qualities. Moral and ethical decisions and
actions work in the same way, making a demonstration of ‘who’ we
are through our
behaviours. By acting in
predictable ways, we build
a reputation for ourselves.
5-The importance of
Conscience
Conscience is a voice that
calls us “to love and to do
what is good and avoid
evil.” (p.52)
It is the Law written in
human hearts by God. It
is the sanctuary, or safe place where we may be alone with God,
hearing His voice. (CCC 1776-78)
We should not confuse our conscience with the Superego. Our
conscience does not lay feelings of guilt upon us. When we do good
things because we feel we ‘have to’ or ‘should’, that is the Superego
talking. When we do good things because we ‘want to’ and feel a
need to do them out of love, it’s our conscience. Which one would
Kant believe in, as the guiding force of goodness, the ‘Superego or
the conscience?
Three Senses of Conscience (refer to The Incredibles diagram
below)
We can experience or think of our conscience in three ways:
- as the ability to recognize right from wrong (a general awareness –
it’s what makes us human)
- as an active process of moral reasoning (learning the facts and what
moral values are – informing ourselves from various reliable sources)
- as a judgment (making a final decision and committing to do what’s
right)
6-The development of one’s Conscience
Your conscience develops…
• as you mature;
• as you follow the values and
virtues of a Christian life;
• as you discover your faults
and weaknesses, recognizing
your need for help, from others
and God;
• as you participate in the
Eucharist and in prayer;
• as you grow in humility.
Conscience can be
malformed through immoral
acts, faulty reasoning, faulty
value structures and misinformation received from others. A wellformed conscience is well informed.
Symptoms of a Misinformed Conscience
• Rationalization – “It’s okay to do this because…”
• Trivialization – “It’s no big deal…”
• Misinformation – “Somebody told me it was okay…”
• The end justifies the means – “I had no choice, …or else…”
• Means to an end – “It’ll be better in the long run…”
• Difficult to reason – “I should have thought about it first, maybe
there was a better way…”
CHAPTER III – CONSCIENCE: THE SELF IN SEARCH OF THE GOOD
The importance of having
direction in my life
The importance of others
The importance of
communication and
language
The importance of character
and one’s body
ME
The importance of conscience
The importance of the
development of one’s
conscience
THREE SENSES OF CONSCIENCE – Timothy O’Connell
Conscience as a capacity to
recognize the right and the
wrong.
We have the capabilities to
decipher the good from the
bad. The fact that we argue
about what is right and wrong
tells us so.
Conscience as a process of
moral reasoning.
1. You must search out
the right thing to do
2. S.T.O.P. sign method
of moral decision
making
Conscience as a judgment
You must act on what your
conscience tells you to do.
After believing in your
decision, you must act upon it
in order to be true to yourself.
If you don’t, you’re losing
your individualism and will
begin to rely on others more
and more to make your
decisions for you.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE’S CONSCIENCE
Family
Friends
Faith
School
Traditions
Others
Experiences
YOU