‘The conscience is linked to reason’. Assess this view with reference to Freud and Aquinas.
Introduction
Define: Conscience- A person's moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one's
behaviour.
Importance: If conscience is linked to reason then Aquinas is right in asserting that reason is a key
factor in moral decision-making.
Scholars: Freud, Aquinas, Newman
Conclusion: The conscience is not linked to reason.
Paragraph 1
Point: Aquinas’ assertion that the conscience is linked to reason is preferable.
Argument: “Conscience is reason making right decisions”- Aquinas’ believed that the conscience has
to be linked to ratio (reason)- conscience is a special part of our mind, which only humans have. It is
a divine gift from God- “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created
them” (Genesis 1:27). The application of our reason connects us to the eternal realm/the divine.
The working of reason would explain why people can conscientiously arrive at different moral
conclusions- allows explanation for moral disagreement, which completely God-like conscience
(Augustine) cannot as it is too absolute.
Counterargument: If your conscience can lead you astray, what does this say about God’s gift of
reason?
Aquinas’ idea that conscience is directly linked to reason is not accepted by all Christian thinkers. St
Augustine of Hippo thought that conscience is the intuitive voice of God directing people to God’s
law in their hearts. Others have suggested conscience is a product of imagination or of opinions, and
that there is divine influence over conscience through these human capacities. Perhaps there is a
spiritual dimension to conscience to which neither Aquinas nor Freud give credit.
Paragraph 2
Point: Conscience is not linked to reason- Freud.
Argument: In contrast, for Freud, conscience is not a conscious reason-oriented process. It is not
about being well informed and trying to do things that lean towards the good because there is an
unconscious and a preconscious dimension to the operation of the mind when it makes moral
decisions. It will not matter that a person has the right knowledge and can use their reason to make
a good moral judgement if their unconscious and preconscious mind leads them to act immorally.
Freud rejects reason and accepts that using the conscience isn’t rational by any means. This is a good
point to attack if asked whether we should trust our conscience; if Freud says the conscience isn’t
rational, surely there must be a better option.
, Counterargument: Conscience may function in a more developed and higher way than Freud
suggests e.g. Fromm- Humanitarian conscience: Our inner voice reacting to how well we are
functioning in life. Our own reaction to our own behaviour- this is a more developed conscience.
Paragraph 3
Point: The conscience is not linked to reason- Newman.
Argument: Newman argues we know some things through our illative sense rather than reason or
logic. It is this which gives feelings of guilt and responsibility, rather than reason (like Aquinas
argued). The illative sense is more personal than reason, and a direct guide to God. The illative sense
enables us to accept the demands of the conscience. The conscience is the “voice of the lawgiver”
and is a messenger from God. Following the conscience is therefore following the voice of God.
Introduction
Define: Conscience- A person's moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as acting as a guide to one's
behaviour.
Importance: If conscience is linked to reason then Aquinas is right in asserting that reason is a key
factor in moral decision-making.
Scholars: Freud, Aquinas, Newman
Conclusion: The conscience is not linked to reason.
Paragraph 1
Point: Aquinas’ assertion that the conscience is linked to reason is preferable.
Argument: “Conscience is reason making right decisions”- Aquinas’ believed that the conscience has
to be linked to ratio (reason)- conscience is a special part of our mind, which only humans have. It is
a divine gift from God- “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created
them” (Genesis 1:27). The application of our reason connects us to the eternal realm/the divine.
The working of reason would explain why people can conscientiously arrive at different moral
conclusions- allows explanation for moral disagreement, which completely God-like conscience
(Augustine) cannot as it is too absolute.
Counterargument: If your conscience can lead you astray, what does this say about God’s gift of
reason?
Aquinas’ idea that conscience is directly linked to reason is not accepted by all Christian thinkers. St
Augustine of Hippo thought that conscience is the intuitive voice of God directing people to God’s
law in their hearts. Others have suggested conscience is a product of imagination or of opinions, and
that there is divine influence over conscience through these human capacities. Perhaps there is a
spiritual dimension to conscience to which neither Aquinas nor Freud give credit.
Paragraph 2
Point: Conscience is not linked to reason- Freud.
Argument: In contrast, for Freud, conscience is not a conscious reason-oriented process. It is not
about being well informed and trying to do things that lean towards the good because there is an
unconscious and a preconscious dimension to the operation of the mind when it makes moral
decisions. It will not matter that a person has the right knowledge and can use their reason to make
a good moral judgement if their unconscious and preconscious mind leads them to act immorally.
Freud rejects reason and accepts that using the conscience isn’t rational by any means. This is a good
point to attack if asked whether we should trust our conscience; if Freud says the conscience isn’t
rational, surely there must be a better option.
, Counterargument: Conscience may function in a more developed and higher way than Freud
suggests e.g. Fromm- Humanitarian conscience: Our inner voice reacting to how well we are
functioning in life. Our own reaction to our own behaviour- this is a more developed conscience.
Paragraph 3
Point: The conscience is not linked to reason- Newman.
Argument: Newman argues we know some things through our illative sense rather than reason or
logic. It is this which gives feelings of guilt and responsibility, rather than reason (like Aquinas
argued). The illative sense is more personal than reason, and a direct guide to God. The illative sense
enables us to accept the demands of the conscience. The conscience is the “voice of the lawgiver”
and is a messenger from God. Following the conscience is therefore following the voice of God.
