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# Conscience ## Aquinas' Understanding of Conscience * Aquinas argues that conscience is not the voice of God, but a God-given faculty of reason. * Practical reason reflects on human nature to arrive at primary precepts of Natural Moral Law. * Conscience applies these precepts to specific situatio...

# Conscience ## Aquinas' Understanding of Conscience * Aquinas argues that conscience is not the voice of God, but a God-given faculty of reason. * Practical reason reflects on human nature to arrive at primary precepts of Natural Moral Law. * Conscience applies these precepts to specific situations and becomes activated when recognizing if an action is good or evil. * Conscience can be mistaken. Two reasons for this are: * Ignorance of the moral law applicable to a situation. This makes the person guilty of sin because they should have known. * Lack of accurate information. For instance, if someone mistakingly believes something is free, and takes it unknowingly knowing it was not, acting by their conscience made a mistake but is not accountable. * Conscience should always be followed. Even if it's wrong, truthfulness, originating from God, must be upheld, meaning going against conscience is equivalent to going against God. ## Evaluation of Aquinas' View * Aquinas is realistic in recognizing that conscience is fallible, and can be misguided by worldly goods rather than the true good. * Emphasizing the use of reason allows for free moral decision-making. This is a vital part of being a moral being. * Criticism: Aquinas potentially ignores the fact that many people act irrationally. Reasoning abilities are limited, and self-interest can be a motivating factor for many. ## Butler's Analysis of Conscience * Butler claims conscience is a reflective principle in human nature, given by God. * This principle allows us to reflect morally on our past actions and future decisions. * Conscience acts as a standard for distinguishing right and wrong and as a guide for how we should behave. * Two principles govern human behaviour: * Prudence (egoism): natural love of self. * Benevolence (altruism): natural love of others. * Conscience acts as a judge between prudence and benevolence, finding a balance between our personal desires and the needs of others. This balance is necessary for individual and societal functionality. * Conscience operates intuitively. We know what is right/wrong based on the internal balance of needs between prudence (me) and benevolence (others). * Conscience is independent (autonomous), and not reliant on approval or punishment from outside sources. ## Key Term: Autonomous * **Autonomous:** Self-directing, independent, self-governing, as in Butler's view of conscience. ## Joseph Butler (1692-1752) * English theologian and philosopher. * Bishop in the Church of England, considered a defender of the faith. * His arguments against deism. * Showed that morality is an indispensable part of life.