Human Conscience

Conscience

• Little voice inside our mind telling us what to do.• Sometimes we picture it as an inner police

officer or as parent tapes.• The one who commands/prohibits,

allows/restricts.• Tries to make sound judgment about our basic

moral questions: “what ought to be?” “what ought to do?”

Types of Conscience

A.Antecedent Conscience Judgment made previous to the

act. An act is judged as to its

worthiness or unworthiness of being performed as something permissible or prohibitory.

B. Consequent Conscience Judgment made after an act. After an act is done or omitted, it is judged to be deserving of approval or disapproval.

Qualities of Conscience

A. Personal Freedom Free Conscience

– One is able to assume a personal moral stand with regard to a particular attitude, or moral responsibility for a particular action in a way that is unhindered or unimpeded: so as to be able to claim full responsibility for a particular attitude or action.

Unfree Conscience– One’s moral attitude or responsibility for a particular action

is hindered or impeded by some obstacles or influences (fear, anger, force)

B. Objective Value Correct Conscience

» one’s subjective perceptions, discernment, dictates and decisions of conscience are in conformity with the objective moral values and demands that one is striving to possess and to express in one’s own personal actions.

Erroneous Conscience» there is lack of conformity between the objective values

and the moral demands that they carry with them. Culpable Conscience (“sadya”)

» one is in error through one’s own fault and is therefore responsible for such an erroneous state of conscience.

Inculpable Conscience (“di sinadya”)

C. Moral Attitude Lax Conscience

• Is remiss or careless in its effort to clearly perceive and internalize particular moral value.

Strict Conscience• When the conscience ends to judge moral obligations

TOO HARSHLY, especially in excessively LEGALISTIC way adhering more to the letter than the spirit of the law.

• Judging others Scrupulous

• A conscience that tends to judge a sin when in fact there is none.

• Judging yourself

Pharisaical Conscience• Tends to be self – righteous as for one’s own moral

evaluation is concerned, while tending to be judgmental towards others, making unwarranted conclusions on the basis of external observance of the law.

Clear Conscience• A conscience which confidently and freely acts and

with due regard for perceiving, appreciating and internalizing true values and making the proper transition one’s actual conscience when confronted with a moral decision regarding a particular way of acting.

Callous Conscience• This the worst type of conscience because it has love

sensitivity to sin and God; as if the person has no conscience at all (e.g. criminals).

D. Degree of Certitude Perplexed Conscience

• One judges it to be equally wrong to act in a particular way, or to refrain from acting and therefore, one cannot make a normally good choice.

Doubtful Conscience• The conscience in its efforts to form a clear conscience

on a particular attitude or way of acting, lacks sufficient evidence to make or leave judgment.

Probable Conscience• The conscience arrives at a point where it finds security

in its own formation of a moral attitude at the habitual level or of a practical judgment at the actual level, even while still admitting the possibility that the opposite may be true.

Certain Conscience• The conscience is able to reach a degree of certainty in

its own formation of moral judgment so that all practical doubts are resolved.

Qualities of Conscience we must develop:

• Free • Correct• Clear• Certain