The Arts of Moral Discernment PDF

# Survival and Integrity ## The Arts of Moral Discernment ### Chapter 16 - **Discernment** is the traditional name for a complicated process of making choices or decisions based on the moral imperatives of one's own conscience in reasonable dialogue with both spiritual guides and subject-matter ex...

# Survival and Integrity ## The Arts of Moral Discernment ### Chapter 16 - **Discernment** is the traditional name for a complicated process of making choices or decisions based on the moral imperatives of one's own conscience in reasonable dialogue with both spiritual guides and subject-matter experts. - Discernment differs from ordinary decision making in two ways. First, discernment is attuned to the morally good rather than simply to the expedient, the profitable, or the solidly conventional. Second-and far more subtle-we are working under the assumption that "the good" is not something we can recognize or achieve simply through careful logic. - **Ignatian Discernment** is a seven-step process outlined in the Spiritual Exercises - Step one: The person prays for or centers consciousness around disinterestedness or nonattachment. - Step two: Collect and evaluate all information relevant to the situation at hand. - Step three: Consult with others who know the situation and can see weaknesses. - Step four: Pray over each "fact" as it is identified, considered, and discussed - Step five: Use techniques to help elicit a conclusion from the process, such as making a list of reasons for and against each option, or imagining the consequences down the road. - Step six: Live with the possibility of acting upon one of the discarded or least-favorite options for a set period of time. - Step seven: Live with possibility of doing what you want to do for a set period of time. - **Neuroscience and Discernment** - The Growth of the Mind and the Endangered Origins of Intelligence, Greenspan explains that from the first days of life, every sensation has an affective correlate. - Every sensation is always paired with emotional responses. - The more you experience or learn, it is "filed away" under a cross-referenced system of sensory data and affective data. - **The Core of a Decision: Consolation and Desolation** - How do we distinguish between inherited wisdom and inherited error? - What rises from the depths of Tortoise Mind neural networks can be either. - We must ask ourselves if we are giving into an emotion that is not authentic, or if we are standing up to something that is misleading. - The more we can do to identify what is causing that action, the better we will be able to know if it is good or bad. - Sometimes things may feel good but are caused by a dark emotion. - **The Art of Moral Discernment** - The most defining characteristic of all moral decisions is that they are not necessarily solely a matter of logic. - The foundations of all religion are that which might be denied. - What is truly good ultimately consoles us, even when it is somehow costly or difficult in the short run. - What genuinely desolates us-that which leaves us feeling depressed, lost, hopeless, worthless, angry, confused, incompetent, etc.-is for the very same reason antithetical to the good, the godly, and the wise. - If we are truly seeking to do good and to avoid evil, we will be successful. - **Where to Find the Light*** - The most important thing is to know, and we can know by prayer. - While there are certain traditions that can help, there are also things that can bring some into darkness. - We have to learn to discern, and that takes work. This is just a brief overview of some of the key points made in the document. It is important to read the entire document for a full understanding of the author's ideas. Let me know if you want any more questions answered about the text.