1. Nikhil Farias, Jacky Tam, Steve Jensen
Chapter Three
Conscience: The self in search of
the good

2. Revise, Review, Re-enter
Moral Agent: a
person fully
• Chapter 1 explores the nature accountable for
his/her actions, has
of seeking and searching for the ability to initiate
“good” in order to engage in a course of events
and makes decisions
ethical decisions that concerning
accompany an individual’s life. themselves and
others after
• Chapter 2 explores human reviewing the
customs, teachings
actions and the importance of and values that
being a moral agent: shape their morality

3. Chapter Three
• Chapter 3 combines the elements of chapters 1 and
2. An individual goes through the process of
becoming a moral agent and thus can seek the
“good” on a number of ethical issues.
• In order to solve specific ethical issues, an individual
must realize the importance of being “human” and
how this philosophical view is important in
understanding ethics, making ethical decisions and
becoming moral agents.
• In order to understand the “human” and undertake
the journey of becoming a moral agent, an
individual must examine specific aspects of human
life that shape ethics and influence moral behaviour.

4. Aspects of the “human” Role in developing a “moral
agent”
A. The importance of others Although individuals are unique
and singular with a capacity to act
and be free, others are not enemies
of one’s autonomy. The other
makes it possible for one to
become their “true selves” as
individuals of freedom.
B. The importance of having Based on commitments, moral
direction in life stance and relations to others, you
develop specific attitudes on
certain ethical questions
C. The importance of The language initially introduced
communication and language to you as a child is the basis of
moral decisions and shaping you
as a person.

5. D. The importance of character and You acquire certain “habits” that
one’s body develop character as is used in making
moral decisions as well as using
judgement.
E. The importance of conscience Conscience develops as a means of
accepting good and avoiding bad. It is
developed through Capacity, Process
and Judgement
F. The importance of the development Conscience is developed from within,
of one’s conscience. from others and one’s experiences.
•All these aspects of the human affect the conscience of an
individual, which as a result shapes the way they make moral
decisions as moral agents.

6. A. The importance of others

7. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis
4.9)
•Can an individual be free and
unique whist being responsible for
others?
•The story of Cain and Able presents the
questions
(1) “Are you responsible for your brother
and sister?”
(2) “Why should you care for the other”?
• Levinas in Chapter 1 makes the strongest argument suggesting that the
“other” plays a central role to the human person and is relational.
• All human actions are either “against someone” or “with someone”. Human
actions and “others”. Actions are motivated by others. Actions involve
others. They are done with others or against others. They affect others
• The “other” is central for an individual’s search for good and is a powerful
incentive for what a person does and how they do it.

8. Actions are
motivated by They are done with
others others or against
Human others
actions
and
“others”
Actions
involve They affect
others others
• Western society often fails to realize the importance of the “other”.
Individuals of society often believe that other individuals acts as a barrier to
one’s own freedom, plans and initiatives “If only they would see things my
way, I could do what I really wanted to do”
• Society prize the entrepreneur, solo mountain climber, discoverer, rebellious
teenage kid who becomes a rock star, the CEO of a large corporation.
These people represent autonomy, independent and freedom. They set
their own limits, make their own decisions and are not influenced by others.
• People believe that relationships are “add-on’s” and that certain individuals
choose to “build bridges with other, although they believe that a human
being can be free without another person”

9. • VERDICT: Although
individuals are unique
and singular with a
Jean-Paul Sartre’s capacity to act and be
existential believe free, others are not
was centered on the
role of others in
enemies of one’s
creating an autonomy. The other
“individuals hell”.
This commonly
makes it possible for
seen in his play “No one to become their
Exit” “true selves” as
individuals of
freedom.

10. Psychiatry: Narcissism: I’m in love with myself Autonomy: an
Branch of •Based on a Greek man named Narcissus autonomous being is
medicine who rejected young women named Echo one that has the
dealing with who was very much in love with him. power of self-
mental, •On a hunting journey, he travelled to a local direction, possessing
emotional and well to seek a drink of water. On arrival at the ability to act as it
behavioural the well, he became so consumed with the decides independent
disorders. reflection of his face in the water and his of the will of others
inability to capture/disrupt the reflection and of other internal
caused him to die of thirst at the well. or external factors.
•This myth has set the basis of forming a
healthy self-identity in which a balance is
formed between self-love and love for
others.
•Psychiatry often classifies the term
Narcissism: A
“narcissism” as a disorder involving disorder marked by
self-absorption and the rejection of self-absorption the
others. exclusion of others.
•A narcissist often engages in anger and
internal or external
rage against those who do not follow factors.
narcissism.

11. B. The Importance of having
direction in life

12. Role of Developing a “Moral Agent”
• Based on commitments, moral stance and
relations to others, you develop specific attitudes
on certain ethical questions.
• Being a moral agent requires you to know who
you are and know where you stand
• Moral stances and orientations form an
individual’s identity and thus a certain direction
can be taken towards ethical/moral issues.
• Forming a direction/moral stance and creating
an identity is identified in 3 distinct areas:

13. Charles Taylor
• Taylor has been a philosophy professor at
McGill University in Montreal since 1961 and
has wrote extensively on philosophical topics
such as the role of Quebec in Canadian society.
• Taylor is part of what is often called the “neo-
Aristotelian revival”, a school of thought that
has arisen because of a perceived failure of
ethical thought in today’s world.

14. Rejecting Naturalism
• Taylor takes the approach of rejecting
naturalism.
• In taking on naturalism, Taylor perceives
himself as challenging one of the key
sources of modern dissatisfaction of
today’s world, a big part of which is the
centering on the self, which flattens and
narrows our lives, makes them less
valuable, and more selfish.
• Naturalism, according to Taylor, can also
lead to our dislocation from things that
make our lives valuable and meaningful.

15. • One of the key characteristics Taylor
encompasses, that illustrates his political
philosophy is “that the age of modernity and
post-modernity is a pluralistic age.”
• Because of this characteristic, Taylor criticizes
modern philosophers whom he believes have
failed to take it the above statement into
account.
• In his paper, “Multiculturalism and the Politics of
Recognition”, Taylor argues that it is essential to
human identity that one’s community be
recognized both politically and socially.
• In today’s society there are many groups with
different ethnic, religious, or political
backgrounds that exist. This causes many
identity’s to be formed, and this is what Taylor is
arguing. For the human identity to mean
anything, ones group must be recognized in a
political and social sense.

16. 1.
Commitment
Knowing s Relation to
where others (physical
you stand stance)
Knowing
2. Moral who you
Stance are
(Direction)

17. 1. Commitments
• Charles Taylor asserts that an individual’s identity
is determined by a moral orientation and this
moral orientation reveals one’s stance in life.
• Moral orientation is defined by an individual’s
commitment to certain elements of his/her life
e.g. a moral or spiritual commitment such as
being a Catholic or a national or educational
commitment such as being a Canadian or a Holy
Trinity student.
• The elements acquired from these commitments
enable an individual to make moral decisions
which become reflective of their own identity.

18. • Commitment to certain groups such as a
Catholic, Canadian or HT student provides two
main aspects:
• (1) A framework to determine what is
good/meaningful or what is bad/trivial
• (2) Avoid the “identity-crisis” in which an
individual often lacks disorientation; not knowing
who they are or where they stand.
• Commitment in groups involves care for others
over a long period of time. Taylor suggests that
secular or humanistic values obscure an
understanding of the “self” and thus cannot
sustain the values of commitment in groups.

19. 2. Moral Stance (direction)
• Using the commitments made to the
various groups, an individual can take a
stance on a number of life’s questions.
• While one commitment may have a
greater weight on an individual’s stance, it
is important to realize that the identity is
much deeper and many-sided, thus moral
decisions are made using all commitment
groups.

20. Life Question Example Response an a Catholic,
Canadian or HT
student)
What is Good and Bad? What’s the harm of According to a Catholic,
abortion abortion destroys the
intrinsic value of
human life deemed
from the moment of
conception.
What is worth doing or Getting an OSSD As a Holy Trinity
not doing? and graduating to student, one learns the
other pursue importance of
other options receiving a high
school diploma and
venturing off into
post-secondary
opportunities.

21. What is A multicultural As a Canadian, an
meaningful/trivial? society is individual is taught to
meaningful, an promote
accent is trivial multiculturalism.
National pride gives
an individual and
accent to proudly use
and define
himself/herself as a
Canadian, thus one
takes a stance to this.
Meaningful: a meaning or
purpose; "a meaningful Trivial: insignificant: not large
explanation”;” a meaningful enough to consider or notice
discussion"; "a meaningful
pause"

22. 3. Relation to Others (physical
stance)
• Your name and who you are referred to define
who you are, where you stand and where your
identity lies.
• Your are either able to answer for yourself or
can be identified by others. Your identity also
lies in your relation to the “other”.
• My name is Nikhil, Timea, Andre, Steve, Jacky,
Christine, Mr. O’Carroll etc... (Identify yourself)
• He is Jason’s brother, He is the local painter, she
is Dave’s sister-in-law, and He is the pope
(identification in relation to the “other”)

23. C: The importance of communication
and language

24. • As already discussed, the “self” is achieved through
interactions with others as well as taking a stance and
direction towards moral decisions. A sense of “self” is
also achieved by being part of a community that shares
a common language. This is the third concept of the
importance in being human.
• Values, aspirations, plans, dreams, hopes and works
were all made known as good qualities to an individual
by parents, teachers and other people.
• Charles Taylor claims that the world is shaped by
“language”. Before anyone can answer the question
“Who am I”, they must come to recognize the
community into which they were born, the people that
raised them and the language they speak.

25. Is expressed in These conversations Through these
Language moral and spiritual not only have conversations, a common
discernment meaning for an language is achieved.
through individual but also for When something is
conversations with his/her conversation discussed/entered/experien
those who raised partners (mainly ced through conversation it
us. (e.g. family) family). becomes a sacred “object”
and the basis to
Language: the verbal style by which understanding oneself.
people express themselves. Contains
and shares with others common
experiences and commitments
An individual may take an innovative approach to Such objects include
understanding themselves, but essentially it is the love, anxiety, and
“objects” exposed through conversations with the aspiration to
family that preliminarily define an individual. wholeness, trust,
Expressing problems to outsiders is only possible, if wisdom and
an outsider shares this same common language knowledge.
first generated by family experience.
The “self” exists within Languages are sacred
webs of conversation, and can be This is the same with the language of
first achieved by meaningless to those Catholicism. “Eucharist”, “Trinity”,
those that brought us who do not share the “Sacrifice”, “resurrection”,
up. same experiences “transubstantiation” are understood
e.g. an “inside joke” is only by Catholics and are very sacred
only understood by in defining oneself as part of this
members who share religious tradition.
the joke.

26. Language: the verbal style by
“ The word
which people express
became flesh
themselves. Contains and
and lived
shares with others common
among us”
experiences and commitments
(John 1.14)
(The weight of words in one’s life)
•Words, while cannot make or remake reality, have the ability to
prevent chaos, give us a vision and left ourselves beyond the
ordinary.
•Meaning comes from the words used and the symbols associated
with these words? “fall in love”, “great chemistry”, “It’s not you it’s me”,
“soul mate” or even “God found me a soul mate” which associates the
symbol of providence that God has in our lives.
•Meaning and happiness are not based on where we are living, what
we are doing or how we view or name these areas.
•A Deeper set of words sets a finite experience against the infinite
horizon. It removes the ordinary of our lives and enhances the
extraordinary aspects of our lives in faith and poetry.
E.g. “You are my brothers and sisters! Love one another
as I have love you”

27. The “person” in light of
Christian origins
• There are two distinct definitions for “person” in Christianity.
• During the time of the early Christians, the idea that God a union of
three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) was very much
confusing.
• Both the Latin and Greek languages had specific words for a
“person”. A definition based on the outside of an individual and one
that neglected the inner core of a human being.
• In order to decipher the puzzle “one God in three persons”, a new
definition of a “person” had to be created to suit this scenario.
• Two interpretations were proposed.

28. A definition of a person is one who
bears rights and responsibilities
• To be a person, one must be
autonomous and independent. No
two people are alike, an individual is
one to be conscious and act.
• Therefore in light of Christianity, the
The Holy Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit are
singular and distinct from each
other. Hence the triangle
representing 3 different points
reflects this idea.

29. A definition of a person is an
outpouring of love towards
another
• Despite the distinct nature of the
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is a
unity as symbolised by the three
concentric circles.
• What binds these three persons
together?
• The answer lies in love!!!

30. The love
A generated
communion breathed the
God of love Son, which in
= involving turn breathed
Love Father, Son forth the Holy
and Holy Spirit
Spirit is
formed by
God.
TRINITY
Love binds all three “Father, Son and Holy
Spirit” into a unity. Trinity was the new word
used to define this phenomenon. “Trinitas”
being the Latin root word meaning “three
occurring at once”!

31. So what does this have to do
with a person?
• Being made in the image and likeness of God, a person is made by and for
love and this outpouring of love is inscribed in one’s individuality (what
makes them a person).
• Love and the “other” is implanted as part of your self. Human beings are by
nature social beings.
• A person essentially is “the self as relational”.
• The trinity is formed on one person relying and attaching to another to
create such a unified and powerful figure.
• This is much like human beings and their need for love and other people!!!
• Otherwise, isn’t loneliness so painful?

32. D: The importance of
character and one’s body

33. •We have already learned
that interactions with
others, moral stance and
direction and language
defines an individual.
•The body is the last
element that defines the
visible characteristics of a
person.
•All human actions through
use of the body are
embodied: This means that
they shape an individual’s
character.

34. Building Character
• The word “character” refers to the way
your actions, over time; tend to become
fixed in your body.
Maximum Capacity “Moral fibre” is much
like muscle fibre, the
more it is exercised the
Potential to
stronger your character.
succeed
The greater moral and
ethical actions taken,
the greater the increase
in character.
Repeated actions are known as “habits”
Starting point

35. Harmony of Habits
Habit: A manner of
behaving acquired by
frequent repetition;
prevailing disposition or
character.

36. Harmony of Habits
• According to Paul Ricoeur, a philosopher, a habit is possible in
allowing an individual to change his/herself through his/her acts.
• By engaging in these acts, an individual learns more about
themselves and acquires a specific habit that contracts it’s self
within their persona.
• “Habit fixes our tastes and aptitudes and shrinks our field
of availability; the range of the possible narrows down; my
life has taken shape.”
• When actions are repeated time and time again, they become
rooted in an individual, such that an individual will be recognized for
these habits. E.g. a generous person, a stubborn person, a cheery
person, a devious person or even a possessive person.
• As a child, such habits are continually changing, once they are
rooted within the person, they cannot be changed! Thus as one
grows older, they acquire only a certain set of habits that define
them as an individual and thus become set in their ways for good or
bad!!!

37. It often comes to question, how strongly do habits
and personality traits affect decisions as
opposed to rational thoughts and judgement:
How often have you compromised on the smaller
purchases of life and not even did not even
make logical decisions on the larger purchases
of life.

38. The truth about big decisions and character:
• They never marched through logical processes, staff systems,
option papers or yellow pads to reach a conclusion.
• No bottom lines or voices announcing “We’re going through!”
• They are made on the basis of mental sets, predispositions,
tendencies that take a lifetime to determine.
• The feeling of “right” is always contemplated especially if an
individual can predict the outcomes of a decision that has to be
made.
• People often wish to have a decision-making process to make such
decisions, but “a decision is not a decision until it has to be made”
• Thus, most probably it is made on the basis of character than
judgment. A moral instinct that is developed over the years and
determines what you see, how you see it and how you will interpret
this.
• Hence it is important to pay attention to the formation of a moral
character as in times of doubt; this will be the most crucial aspect to
making a decision.

39. Paul Ricoeur
• Paul Ricoeur is widely known as one of the most
distinguished philosophers of modern time.
• Ricoeur notes a distinction between ethics and morals
being that ethics is concerned with the overall aim of a
life of action, whereas morality refers to the expression
of this aim in terms of norms and morals that are
regarded as mandatory in society.
• Paul Ricoeur states that action and imputation are two
fundamental base capabilities involved with ethics and
morals.
• People in society are allowed to choose their own
actions, and what they do is imputable to them as a
freely chosen deed.

40. E: The importance of
conscience
Conscience: the sense of what is
right and wrong that governs
somebody's thoughts and actions,
urging him or her to do right rather
than wrong

41. • So far we have seen how one can understand themselves as an
ethical and moral being.
• All ethical decisions and the role as a human are based on factors
that surround a person e.g. environment, other people, language
etc…
• The human self-however is not only composed of the outside, but a
deep inner self. This is anthropological trait is THE CONSCIENCE
Outside
influences
•Other people
•Language
Anthropological •Commitment
Traits: Scientific Groups
study of the origin, Inside
the behaviour, influences
physical, social and •Habits
cultural •Identity
characteristics of
humans. •Deeper issues:
CONSCIENCE

42. What is conscience
•Conscience calls us to “love and to
do what is good and to avoid evil”.
•It’s an inner voice telling us what to
do at the right moment.
•It is also believed that the
conscience is a law inscribed in
human hearts by God.
•Conscience is a secret core and
sanctuary in which one is alone with
God and his voice echoes in our
depths.

43. The Church’s comment on Conscience
The conscience is a law inscribed by
God in the heart. It is where the voice of
God echoes, a most secret core and
sanctuary.
In a conscience, man discovers a law not laid upon himself,
but one which he must obey.
It is a judgment in which a human
It’s tells man to do what is good person recognizes the moral
and avoid what is evil. quality of an act he is to perform
A loyalty to conscience allows or has already completed. It
for the search for truth and allows him to perceive and
solves problems arising from recognize the prescriptions of the
individual and social divine law and faithfully follow
relationships. what is believed to be just and
right.

44. It emphasizes guidance by objective standards of
moral conduct.
Conscience often goes
astray through Conscience welcomes the
ignorance. This is commandments. It examines
unavoidable at times and an authority of truth in
thus a person who takes reference to the supreme
little trouble to finding a Good to which a human
conscience or those person is developed.
blinded through a habit
of committing sin are not
entirely at fault.

45. Sigmund Freud’s approach to conscience
• As people mature, their actions tend to stream away from the
experience of rules and laws imposed by others (parents, police,
teachers, priests, gov’t etc…) to a more self-directed and
conscionable law system from within.
• A person will consider what is right and wrong. This gives a
person a more mature conscience as they become more
self-directed as opposed to an immature conscience that is
influenced by others.
• A morally mature person makes their own decisions. Whist they
may still take the advice of others, they will most often make their
own judgements and acceptance of moral values.
• According to Freud, the conscience is not a feeling that is right or
wrong, nor does it act as a feeling of failure, although this could
signal something is incorrect. E.g. lighting a cigarette after one has
quit smoking. Conscience is also not the fear of punishment if we
break our curfew. This is where Freud’s analytical theory comes into
play at drawing a distinction between a moral conscience and the
“superego”

46. Freud examines three elements of personality associated with
the mind, which he believes holds value to a conscience:
SUPEREGO
The ego of another
ID
superimposed on our
The unconscious
own to serve as an
reservoir of instinctual
internal sensor to
drives largely
regulate our conduct
dominated by the
by using guilt as it’s
pleasure principle. EGO powerful weapon.
The conscious
structure which
operates on the reality
principle to mediate
the forces of the id,
the demands of
society, and the reality
of the physical world.

47. Sigmund Freud
• Sigmund Freud is world-renowned for his theories of the
unconscious mind, especially involving repression, his
definition of sexual desire as mobile and directed
towards a wide variety of objects, and for his theory
about the value of dreams as sources of insight into
unconscious desires.
• Freud’s most significant contribution to the Western
world was his argument of the unconscious mind and
the Id, Ego, and Superego, which, he said, are all
divisions of the human psyche.

48. The Id, Ego, and Superego
• Dreams, he said, provided the best and
most efficient access to our unconscious
mind, and show the work of the id.
• The id is fully unconscious and represents
primitive drives. The Superego is partially
conscious and this represents our
conscience or the moral judge within us.
The ego is the midway between them, and
is used to provide balance between the id
and superego.

49. • The id, as previously stated, is the source of our
drives. Our drives come from the id and apply
energy to objects, which may result in
aggressive behavior. The id behaves as though it
were unconscious because our ego’s and
superego’s ideals and pressures are in conflict
with the id’s drives and passion.
• If their drives were to conflict, this would cause
repression, something that the human psyche
cannot fully comprehend, as the satisfaction of
the id’s drives would be cause major social and
self image problems.
• The ego is the psyche’s form of balance.
Providing a balance between the two extremes,
while still satisfying both the id and superego is
the ego’s task. The ego uses defense
mechanisms when the id’s desires conflict with
reality or social morals.

50. • The superego will be discussed next
• In conclusion, our id is our depressed drives, and
only appears when we are fully unconscious. Our
superego is our moral judge which acts as our
conscience. And our ego acts as a balance
between our id and our superego.

52. Surprising Supporting Super-ego
• The superego is the “shoulds” and “have-tos” absorbed
by growing up in a world of authority figures, first with
the parents and then other’s in society.
• It’s a weapon of “guilt springs” for both serious and
simple matters. It tells us we are good when we do
something we are told to do and bad when we disobey
or refuse to do this.
• The development of the “superego” comes with
punishment from childhood. One fears punishment not
only because of the physical pain, but because it
represents a loss in love. Thus a child will regulate their
behaviour to suit authority figures as a means of self-
protection and to be loved. They ultimately succumb to
the values presented by their parents.

53. Super-ego Moral Conscience
•Related to the “shoulds” or “havetos” •Related to “wants” directed by our own
directed by someone else i.e. authority personal values and needs.
figures. •Is developed by from personal
•Is developed by absorbing the rules and
perception and appropriation of values
regulations of authority figures who strive developed in the stories and examples of
to promote love in teaching us to do the people we want to be like. It acts in love
right thing. We behave by their commands responding to values we commit to.
because we fear punishment or losing love •It’s responsible for freedom in doing
from them and thus need to be accepted something that we value and seek.
and approved.
•Helps to integrate wisdom into past
actions. You realize “the way things are
done”
•Most “shoulds” should not become
enforced, yet become personal choices.
Often, we confess these “shoulds” to God
in terms of help, but this decreases as one
becomes more mature morally.

54. THE SUPER-EGO IS DEVELOPED FROM WHAT WE
HAVE TO DO, CHOICES MADE BY OTHERS
WHEREAS THE MORAL CONSCIENCE IS
DEVELOPED FROM WHAT WE WANT TO DO,
CHOICE MADE THROUGH SELF-DIRECTION!
Conscience helps to direct our own activity. Every
choice, commitment and promise is a choice
between being authentic or inauthentic.
“The morally mature adult is
called to commit his or her
freedom, not to submit to it.
Authentic: Conforming to
As long as we do not direct
fact and therefore worthy of
our activity, we are not yet
trust, reliance, or belief: an
free, morally mature
authentic account by an
persons.”
eyewitness.
Richard Gula

55. Timothy O’Connell
• Timothy O’Connell is a professor at Loyola University in Chicago
where he specializes in morals and ethics.
• He has authored many books based on morals and ethics.
• He is known for something called the “Values Agenda”:
– Understanding how our values are formed
– Facing ethical challenges every day
– Exploring the important values in our lives
– Improving our ethical decision making
– Passing on the values we most cherish
– Living a value-based life at home and work
– Building a life -- and sharing it with others

56. Three senses of conscience
• In the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern
World, Timothy O’Connell identifies three senses of the
word “conscience”. These senses tend to act in an order
to solve certain moral decisions.
• Richard Gula claims that one “must always do what is
believed to be right and avoid what is believed to be
wrong”. “Choosing one line of action and avoiding
another is God’s call. This is the moral course of action
that acts as the conscience and this cannot be violated”.
• Conscience is a guiding light to moral decisions and is a
sacred sanctity between a person and God.
Conscience as Capacity Conscience as Process Conscience as Judgement

57. Conscience as Capacity
Element or Feature of this Example
sense
Our capacity to know and do good, Based on your identity. Do you
and to avoid evil. recognise cheating in tests to
be evil and studying and
achieving to be good?
Our fundamental sense of value and Do you value other people in life?
personal responsibility. Is it a personal responsibility
to ensure societal well-being,
not just for yourself but for
others?
Our fundamental awareness that there Can you distinguish what is good
is a right and wrong. and what is bad e.g. helping
others or condemning others?

58. Conscience as Pr ocess
Element or Feature of this Example
sense
Knowing how to perceive accurately and to What are the implications of stealing and
think correctly. what is morally wrong about this?
Moral disagreements, error, blindness and Is the Catholic church’s condemnation of
insight occur here. abortion fair to those in society…e.g.
such as myself?
Conscience must be formed an examined What is my conscience telling me to do?
As a manager do I please my
employees or my public shareholders?
Draws upon moral sources to understand what The catholic church, my parents, family,
it means to be human in a moral way. friends, school environment, habits
Developed in the community and my character tell me as a human I
must not do harm to others.
Seeks to know the truth and to make it one’s I must find out if he did sabotage her
own religion poster and resolve the
situation.
Searches for right through perception, reflection Taking drugs is morally wrong. The
and analysis. Catholic church teaches us to respect
our bodies as they are sacred. If I take
them, I could harm myself and those
that I love.

59. Conscience as Judgment
Element or Feature of this sense Example
Concrete judgement and decision I did not take the prize money because I did not
to be made based on perception successfully win the competition and learnt that
and values. cheating hinders true performance and fairness.
Conscience makes a moral I knew the planned fight after school between the boys
decision, moral action and would end in disaster, so I informed a teacher to
expresses a certain stance. sort the matter out. I can’t stand for violence and
physically outside the school environment.
More than “this” or “that” choice, a I chose not to play the last game of polka at the casino,
decision is based on “this” or because I am particularly superstitious and a low
“that person. risk taker.
This is the conscience that I must Hiding from my conscience whilst thinking about the
obey to be true to myself. thousands of dollars I spent as an alcoholic. I have
now enrolled in a rehabilitation facility.
Secret core and sanctity with God. I was forced to become an agnostic during the latter
People must not be forced to part of my life, but my bond with God is too strong
act against their conscience. and my connection to Christianity is too strong that
my conscience would not withstand this decision.

60. F: The development of one’s
conscience
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the
gate is wide and the road is easy that
leads to destruction, and there are many
who take it. For the gate is narrow and
the road is hard that leads to life, and
there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:
13-14)

61. Developing a conscience
• How can my “moral self” be formed and
how can I make the right judgements and
decisions?
• There is no simple recipe for developing a
conscience. There are however some
pointers to keep in mind.

62. How your conscience develops
1. Conscience develops with maturity; your sense of
right and wrong is formed within the family and
becomes increasingly refined with time.
2. Conscience develops as the norms, values, virtues
and commandments found in the Christian tradition
are used as guidelines for the conscience.
3. Conscience helps you to deal with failure and sins as
one becomes aware of they weakness, they realize
the fragility of the human being and need support
from others, especially God.
4. Conscience develops through participation in the
Eucharist and prayer life of the church.
5. Conscience develops as one grows in humility,
realizing that we are not the FINAL deciders of what
is right and wrong. Our humility leads us to seek
the direction of the church.

63. Symptoms of a misinformed
conscience
• Rationalization: Making excuses for wrong actions by suggesting that the
“victim” party can afford it or can handle the action.
5
• Trivialization: Making excuses based on following the norms or
predominant actions of society
3
• Misinformation: Giving misleading or false information that could
potentially cause an individual to do or have something unnecessary. 1
• The end justifies the immoral means: The outcome is highly important
and thus the actions undertaken whether good or bad justify this outcome. 6
• Means to an end: Engaging in destructive actions and trying to suggest
that there will be possible benefits by the destruction.
4
• Difficulty to reason: Acting impulsively without considering the
consequences or other possible solutions to a given problem. 2

64. Moral behaviour
Moral behaviour These give
is developmental:
(what is good and rise to our
tied to
bad) and values character in
intellectual, social
that guide moral determining
and spiritual
actions are “right” and
growth.
acquired from “wrong” and
family, friends, thus come
school, community into play
and formal when facing a
A well-formed institutions. moral
conscience is decision.
well informed. Sometimes, one
You have a thinks they are Conscience can
responsibility to doing something sometimes be
be informed good, when in malformed due to a
about issues of fact they are lack of information,
moral living as doing the faulty reasoning,
well as other opposite. They misinformation
moral thinkers. also find it received from others
impossible to or faulty value
reason the right structures.
course of action.

65. Solving a dilemma is only
Who can Are all values and possible with moral
help you to norms in the maturity: this developed
inform your community good, or over time. This process
conscience? can some be lies within the people you
destructive to the interact with as well as
community’s with yourself. You need
members. to constantly seek what it
means to be human.
Confusions in the
decision-making
process
Humanity can be
What happens when discovered through
one has to choose shared human
conflicting goods? E.g. experiences, but also
lose weight or eat through yourself. To
another piece of cake? understand human
reality, you need to SEEK
OUT INFORMATION
FROM OTHERS.

66. Moral questions “For a Catholic to make a
can be sought decision of conscience with
out from the indifference to, or in spite
magisterium of of, the magisterium would
the Catholic be forfeiting one’s claim to
Church! be acting as a loyal
Catholic and according to a
properly informed
conscience”
Magisterium: The official
Teaching office of the
Church

67. ALL GOOD THINGS COME
TO AN END! THIS IS
ONE OF THEM!!!