One of the qualities of the human personality (properties of the human intellect), ensuring the preservation of homeostasis (the state of the environment and one’s position in it) and conditioned by the ability of the intellect to model its future state and the behavior of other people in relation to the “bearer” of conscience. is one of the products of education. According to conscience - a category of ethics that characterizes an individual’s ability to exercise moral self-control, independently formulate moral duties for himself, demand that he fulfill them, and make a self-assessment of his actions; one of the expressions of a person’s moral self-awareness (in many European languages the word “conscience” etymologically means “shared knowledge”; in Russian it comes from the word “vedat” - “to know”). Associative block. Due to the fact that conscience is a property of a person, its “filling and quality” significantly depend on the culture that a person has (both ethnic and individual).
Definitions, meanings of words in other dictionaries:
Social psychology. Dictionary under. ed. M.Yu. Kondratieva
Conscience is the ability of an individual to exercise moral self-control, independently formulate moral duties for oneself, demand that one fulfill them and evaluate the actions performed; one of the expressions of a person’s moral self-awareness. WITH....
Large dictionary of esoteric terms - edited by Doctor of Medical Sciences Stepanov A.M.
(Russian, joint message, generalized knowledge). 1. Feeling and consciousness of moral responsibility for one’s behavior and actions to oneself, to others, to society moral principles, views, beliefs. 2. In occultism - the manifestation of criteria in an individual...
Philosophical Dictionary
(shared knowledge, know, know): the ability of a person to be aware of his duty and responsibility to other people, to independently evaluate and control his behavior, to be a judge of his own thoughts and actions. “The matter of conscience is the matter of a person, which he conducts...
Philosophical Dictionary
The ability of a person to exercise moral self-control, independently form moral duties for himself, demand that he fulfill them, and make a self-assessment of his actions. S. can manifest itself not only in the form of reasonable awareness of moral...
Philosophical Dictionary
(Greek syneidesis, Lat. conscientia) - is usually interpreted as a person’s ability to distinguish between good and evil, as an inner voice that tells us about moral truth, about higher values, about our dignity. A person not only “has a conscience,” but “he himself is a conscience” (S. Fagin)....
Philosophical Dictionary
An ethical category that expresses an individual’s ability to exercise moral self-control, to determine from the standpoint of good and evil the attitude towards one’s own and others’ actions. makes its assessments as if independently of practical interests, but in various manifestations a person’s conscience...
Philosophical Dictionary
A category of ethics that expresses an individual’s ability to exercise moral self-control, to determine from the standpoint of good and evil the attitude towards one’s own and others’ actions and lines of behavior. S. makes his assessments as if independently of practicality. interest, but in reality in different...
Philosophical Dictionary
The concept of moral consciousness, internal conviction of what is good and evil, consciousness of moral responsibility for one’s behavior; expression of an individual’s ability to exercise moral self-control on the basis of the norms and rules formulated in a given society...
How often does someone ask us to “have a conscience” or wonder whether it will torment us from certain actions. However, what is conscience? It is unlikely that anyone can confidently interpret this concept. Dictionaries cannot give a completely clear explanation, but it’s worth at least trying to understand this issue.
What is conscience?
What is conscience? Often the answer to this question is given as follows - this is the ability of someone independently determine their moral responsibilities, exercise self-control and evaluate your actions. In simple terms, it is a way to express one's moral self-awareness.
The manifestation of conscience is divided into two types. Firstly, these are certain actions that a person performs in connection with one or another moral background. Secondly, these are the emotions that he experiences in relation to certain actions - a feeling of guilt, or the so-called "remorse".
Almost everything related to this issue is shrouded in mystery. For example, how did people develop a conscience in the first place? Some scientists believe that this happened as a result of evolution, while others adhere to an intuitive theory.
Evolutionary theory is based on the fact that over time, people have noticed that their selfish actions harm those close to them, and they are blamed or punished for them. Good deeds, on the contrary, are approved. Some scientists believe that this has gradually been learned by humans to an innate level, although not everyone agrees with this.
Intuitionism
The basis of this theory is that conscience is perceived as a property of a person given to him by nature itself. In this case, the fact that the degree of development could change and improve due to a variety of conditions is not denied, but the “embryo” is considered a fact.
Innateness explains the unconditional nature of conscience, but adherents of this theory also interfere with the issue of higher powers, God, so such an explanation cannot be considered purely scientific. It retained the word “theory” only as a name, as a tribute to tradition.
Description of conscience
Having roughly described what conscience is and what it means, scientists turned to other aspects of this issue. In particular, they raised psychological problem, identification of types and manifestations.
People's opinions differ on almost everything. Some believe that there are no manifestations of conscience in the animal world, while others hold a completely opposite opinion, and even find examples for this.
The definition is considered separately conscience of childhood. This period helps to consider how exactly the self-awareness of human actions is formed. Shame is a key component. Some scientists even believe that shame is the only manifestation of conscience. Whether this is true or not, this feeling is seen in children, and it is obvious that it is present in to varying degrees. This is usually influenced by upbringing and environment.
Trying to understand what conscience means, one should not assume that it is characteristic only of highly developed people. Many scholars want to perceive savages and tribes with a low degree of culture as people who do not feel shame or guilt, but even the oldest writings of travelers easily prove the opposite.
Many peoples and tribes value shame much higher than the inhabitants of megacities, and this despite the fact that they walk completely naked. Simply put, culture and the degree of moral consciousness are practically unrelated.
Conscience and criminology
Separately, the question of what conscience is from the point of view of criminology is widely considered, and this is not surprising. It's hard to believe that it exists among thieves or serial killers. However, decomposition of this type self-awareness, which carried out by Despin, made it possible to shed some light on its nature.
In this sense, the conscience of the crowd, the influence of the mass on the consciousness of one person, as well as psychological changes in savage people and degenerate peoples are highlighted.
Today, scientists and philosophers continue to actively discuss the issue of the emergence of conscience and its development. Some believe that such self-awareness does not change with age or joining another society, but changes occur in the mind, and it, in turn, capable of influencing conscience. She tries to break through, sending a person an unbearable feeling of guilt, shame and remorse.
Conscience is a kind of spiritual instinct that distinguishes good from evil faster and more clearly than the mind. He who follows the voice of conscience will not regret his actions.
In the Holy Scriptures, conscience is also called the heart. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ likened conscience to “ oku”(eye), through which a person sees his moral state (Matt. 6:22). The Lord also likened conscience to “ opponent,” with which a person must be reconciled before he appears before the Judge (Matt. 5:25). This last name indicates a distinctive property of conscience: resist our bad actions and intentions.
Our personal experience also convinces us that this inner voice, called conscience, is located beyond our control and expresses itself directly, apart from our desire. Just as we cannot convince ourselves that we are full when we are hungry, or that we are rested when we are tired, so we cannot convince ourselves that we have acted well when our conscience tells us that we have acted Badly.
Conscience in Scripture
The will of God becomes known to man in two ways: firstly, through his own inner being and, secondly, through revelations or , communicated by God and the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ and written down by the prophets and apostles. The first way of communicating the will of God is called internal, or natural, and the second - external, or supernatural. The first is psychological in nature, and the second is historical.
The existence of an internal, or natural, moral law is clearly evidenced by St. Paul, saying: when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves, for they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts (Rom. 2:14-15). And on the basis of this law, written in the hearts, written laws were formed among the pagan peoples, which served as a guide for public life and fostered moral freedom in each individual person. Although these morals and laws were imperfect, without them it would have been worse, since it would have settled in human society complete arbitrariness and licentiousness. If there is a lack of care, people fall like leaves, says the wise one (Prov. 11:14).
Everyone’s conscience tells them about the presence of the natural law of morality in a person. Having spoken about the work of the law, written in the very nature of the pagans, the apostle adds: their conscience testifies(Rom. 2:15). Conscience has its basis in all three known psychic powers: knowledge, feeling and will. The very word conscience(to know, to know), as well as the usual expressions: conscience has spoken, conscience recognizes or conscience rejects - show that there is an element of knowledge in conscience. Further, the feeling in the conscience of joy or sorrow, peace or discontent and anxiety makes conscience akin to feeling. Finally, we express ourselves: conscience keeps me from doing this, or conscience forces me to do this, therefore, we attribute conscience to will. Thus, conscience is a “voice” (as is usually expressed) arising from a peculiar combination of all three mental abilities. It arises from the relationship of a person’s self-awareness to self-determination and his activities.
Conscience has the same significance for activity that logic has for thinking. Or how inherent in man sense of rhyme, tact, etc. - for poetry, music, etc. Next, conscience is something primitive, innate to man, and not derivative, imposed. It always testifies to man’s Godlikeness and the need to fulfill God’s commandments. When the tempter seduced Eve in paradise, her conscience immediately appeared on guard, announcing the impermissibility of transgressing God’s commandment. Eva said: We can eat the fruits of the trees, only the fruits of the tree, which is in the middle of the garden, God said, do not eat them or touch them, lest you die(Gen. 3:2-3). That is why the ancients spoke about conscience: est Deus in nobis, i.e. In conscience we feel not only the human, but also the higher-human, or divine, side. And according to the words of the wise Sirach, God has set his eye on the hearts of people (Sir. 17:7). This is the essence of the indestructible power and greatness of conscience in relation to human intentions and actions. You cannot bargain, negotiate, or enter into deals with your conscience: conscience is incorruptible. There is no need for reasoning and conclusions to hear the decision of conscience: it speaks directly. As soon as a person thinks of doing something bad, conscience immediately appears at his post, warning him and threatening him. And after committing a bad deed, conscience immediately punishes and torments him. It is not in vain that they say that it is not man who controls conscience, but conscience that controls man. A person is dependent on his conscience.
How does conscience work? By their actions, conscience is distinguished legislative And judging(punishing). The first is the scale for measuring our actions, and the last is the result of this measurement. Ap. Paul calls the legislative conscience indicating about the actions (of the Gentiles; Rom. 2:15). And elsewhere: I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie, my conscience bears witness to me in the Holy Spirit(Rom.9:1). But in St. Scripture says more about the judging conscience. So Adam after the Fall, Cain after fratricide, Joseph’s brothers after taking revenge on the innocent - they all experience torment in their conscience. 2 Samuel talks about broken heart, i.e. about a condemning conscience (chap. 24:10). The Psalms of David speak more than once about a similar human condition. The New Testament says about the scribes and Pharisees who brought a sinner to the Lord Savior that: they began to leave one after another, convicted by conscience(John 8:3). In the messages of St. Peter and Paul, in places about conscience, more is said about the judging conscience, i.e. rewarding or punishing.
What states of human conscience exist? Since conscience is a natural voice heard in the very nature of man, as a result it is in close connection with the entire state of the human soul, depending on its moral development - on education, lifestyle and history in general. This idea is confirmed by St. Scripture. The history of Revelation has as its task to reveal the law most clearly, and, moreover, in accordance with man’s own knowledge. Ap. Paul recognizes the gradual growth of moral wisdom in man and demands it when he says: Everyone who is fed with milk is ignorant of the words of truth, because he is a child; solid food is characteristic of the perfect, whose senses are accustomed to distinguish between good and evil(Heb. 5:13-14); and also: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.(Rom. 12:2). The development and improvement of conscience depends both on the education of the mind and on the improvement of the will. Strict justice, in particular the love of truth and the coordination of practical actions with theoretical knowledge, are the main foundations of clarity, sharpness and liveliness of conscience (conscientiousness). And there are external auxiliary means for this: the instructions of parents, the voice and example of the best part of society, and most importantly - the Holy One. Scripture, which clearly and in all purity reveals moral truths and rightly denounces human vices.
If conscience is dependent on general condition a person, mental and moral, formed under the influence of the environment, both an individual and entire nations, which is very often perverted, then for this reason the voice of conscience is heard different people completely different, sometimes contradictory. It is known from history that people sometimes commit the most cruel acts, even terrible crimes, citing the voice of their conscience. Let us recall, for example, the Inquisition, the custom of pagan peoples to kill weakly born children and decrepit old people, etc. And among us, often one with a clear conscience does something from which the conscience of another is indignant. Finally, in the same person, conscience can speak differently at different times. It follows from this that conscience does not manifest itself in the same way in everyone, that its voice can be true and untrue, both in varying degrees. That's why ap. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks of a weak or erring conscience, a conscience of idols, i.e. conscience that recognizes idols as real powers (1 Cor. 8:7,13). Consequently, the opinion of those who think that a person’s conscience contains “a complete and organized moral law, the same and always equal content” cannot be accepted, and therefore, in cases of error and moral corruption, he should only take a closer look at his conscience in order to understand his delusion, your perverted state and turn to a better path.
The history of the life of pagan peoples and their conversion to Christianity does not confirm this view. History shows both that not all nations have the same code of commandments, and that when converting pagans to Christianity, the matter was not limited to just reminding them of the contents of their conscience. A difficult and prolonged work took place in the entire being of the pagan, a continuous and persistent influence on his entire consciousness. That is why the struggle of missionaries against pagan superstitions and morals is far from easy, as it would be if this theory about conscience were correct. But, nevertheless, this struggle is possible, it produces results, and the pagans convert to Christianity. And this is a sign that the opportunity is open for all people to correct their conscience and be guided by its correct and pure instructions. Every person is the image and likeness of God.
Truth or fallacy, certainty or doubtfulness (probability) - these are the properties of legislative conscience. We call the judging conscience calm or restless, peaceful or disturbing, comforting or painful. In St. In Scripture it is called a good, pure, immaculate conscience or an evil, vicious, defiled, burned conscience. Before the Jewish Sanhedrin, St. Paul testified that he lived with all good conscience before God until this day(Acts 23:1). Ap. Peter exhorts Christians to have a good conscience, so that those for whom you are slandered as evildoers may be put to shame by those who reproach your good conduct in Christ(1 Pet. 3:16 and 21). In the Epistle to the Hebrews, St. Paul expresses confidence that we have a good conscience because we want to behave honestly in everything(13:18). He commands to have sacrament in a clear conscience(1 Tim. 3:9). And I myself strive to have an immaculate conscience before God and people(Acts 24:16), he says about himself. In his letter to the Hebrews, the apostle calls the conscience evil or evil when he calls approach with a sincere heart, with full faith, sprinkling [the Blood of Christ], cleansing the heart from an evil conscience. (Heb. 10:22). In his letter to Titus, the apostle calls the conscience “defiled” when he speaks of people: their mind and conscience are defiled. They say that they know God, but deny by deeds, being vile and disobedient and incapable of any good deed.(Titus 1:15). Burnt but in conscience the apostle calls those false speakers, through which in recent times some will depart from the faith, listening to seducing spirits and teachings of demons(1 Tim. 4:1-2). The burning sensation here signifies a painful consciousness of guilt.
By strength or energy, conscience is called decisive or meticulous. She is akin to a suspicious conscience. It is characteristic of persons prone to despondency and who do not trust the means of cleansing from sins. Under the influence of passions and the noise of the world, conscience is often hard to hear and becomes muffled. If you often drown out the voice of conscience, then it becomes quieter, conscience gets sick, dies, and such a process ends in the death of conscience, i.e. a state of dishonesty.
But, speaking about the state of lack of conscience, we do not understand the absence of the punitive power of conscience in a person, but only the absence of conscience, i.e. the trampling of all divine and human laws and rights, the withering away of all moral feeling. Of course, the storms of passions and the noise of this world can drown out the punitive voice of conscience. But even in this case, the judging conscience is reflected in the person. It then manifests itself in secret despondency, melancholy, melancholy, and a state of hopelessness. And when the passions and noise of the world subside (which happens throughout life, but especially before death), then an evil conscience attacks a person with all its fury. It then produces anxiety and fearfulness in a person, and a painful expectation of future retribution. Cain, Saul, Judas, Orestes can serve as models. So conscience is either a comforter or a tormentor.
We have given all the excerpts from the Holy Scriptures related to the human conscience. It remains to point out only one place in the message of St. Paul to the Corinthians; it reads like this: I mean conscience not my own, but another; for why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? (1 Cor. 10:29). In these words, conscience is presented as an individual authority: this means that each person has a conscience only for himself. It follows from this that I must beware of raising the voice of my conscience to the level of a law for others and thus causing damage to my conscience. I must treat both my own conscience and the conscience of others with attention and leniency.
The nature of conscience
Conscience is a universal moral law
The presence of conscience testifies to the fact that, as the story goes, God, already at the very creation of man, inscribed His own in the depths of his soul. image and likeness(Gen. 1:26). Therefore, it is customary to call conscience the voice of God in man. Being a moral law written directly on the heart of man, it acts in all people, regardless of their age, race, upbringing and developmental level.
Scientists (anthropologists) studying the customs and customs of backward tribes and peoples testify that so far not a single tribe, even the most savage, has been found that would be alien to certain concepts of moral good and evil. In addition, many tribes not only highly value goodness and abhor evil, but for the most part agree in their views on the essence of both. Many, even wild tribes, stand as high in their concepts of good and evil as the most developed and cultured peoples. Even among those tribes that elevate to the level of virtue deeds that are disapproved from the dominant point of view, in everything else concerning moral concepts, complete agreement with the views of all people is observed.
St. writes in detail about the actions of the internal moral law in people. apostle Paul in the first chapters of his letter to the Romans. The Apostle reproaches the Jews for the fact that they, knowing the written Divine law, often violate it, while the pagans “have nots(written) law, by nature they do what is lawful... They show(by this) that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as evidenced by their conscience and thoughts, which either accuse or justify one another.”(Rom. 2:15). App right there. Paul explains how this law of conscience sometimes rewards and sometimes punishes a person. Thus, every person, no matter who he is, Jew or pagan, feels peace, joy and satisfaction when he does good, and, on the contrary, feels anxiety, sorrow and oppression when he does evil. Moreover, even pagans, when they do evil or indulge in debauchery, know from an inner feeling that God’s punishment will follow for these actions (Rom. 1:32). At the upcoming Last Judgment, God will judge people not only by their faith, but also by the testimony of their conscience. Therefore, as the apostle teaches. Paul, and the Gentiles can be saved if their conscience testifies to God of their virtuous life.
Conscience has great sensitivity to good and evil. If man were not damaged by sin, he would not need a written law. Conscience could truly guide all his actions. The need for a written law arose after the Fall, when man, darkened by passions, ceased to clearly hear the voice of his conscience. But essentially, both the written law and the internal law of conscience say one thing: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them”(Matt. 7:12).
In daily relationships with people, we subconsciously trust a person’s conscience more than written laws and rules. After all, you can’t keep track of every crime, and sometimes the law of unrighteous judges is “whatever the drawbar is: where you turned, that’s where it went.” Conscience contains within itself the eternal and unchangeable law of God. Therefore, normal relationships between people are possible only as long as people have not lost their conscience.
On maintaining a clean conscience
“Keep your heart above all else, for from it are the springs of life.”(Proverbs 4:23) With these words, Holy Scripture calls on a person to take care of his moral purity.
But what about a sinful person who has stained his conscience; is he forever doomed? Fortunately, no! The great advantage of Christianity over other religions is that it opens the way and provides the means to fullclearing conscience.
This path consists of repentantly surrendering your sins to the mercy of God with the sincere intention of changing your life for the better. God forgives us for the sake of His Only Begotten Son, who made a cleansing sacrifice for our sins on the cross. In the sacrament, and then in the sacraments of confession and communion, God completely cleanses a person’s conscience “from dead works” (Heb. 9:14). That is why he attaches such great importance to these sacraments.
In addition, the Church of Christ possesses that grace-filled power that makes it possible for the conscience to improve in sensitivity and clarity of manifestation. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. Through a clear conscience, God’s light begins to act, guiding a person’s thoughts, words and actions. In this blessed illumination, man becomes an instrument of God's providence. He not only saves himself and improves spiritually, but also contributes to the salvation of people who communicate with him (let us remember Saints Seraphim of Sarov, John of Kronstadt, Elder Ambrose of Optina and other righteous people).
Finally, a clear conscience is a source of inner joy. People with a pure heart are calm, friendly and friendly. People with a pure heart already in this life anticipate the bliss of the Kingdom!
“It is not the greatness of power,” argues St. John Chrysostom, - “it is not a lot of money, not the vastness of power, not bodily strength, not a luxurious table, not luxurious clothes, not other human advantages that bring complacency and joy; but this can only be the fruit of spiritual well-being and a good conscience.”
What is remorse?
Committing a sin for the first time, a person feels a certain [internal] conviction and experiences. Having committed the same sin again, he experiences less conviction, and if he... is inattentive and continues to sin, then his conscience hardens.
The devil often finds an excuse for sins, and instead of admitting: “I did it to violate my conscience,” she justifies herself: “I did it so that the Elder would not be upset.” He turns the tuning knob to a different frequency so that we don't see our wrongdoing. One woman, coming to her confessor for confession, sobbed inconsolably and repeated the same phrase: “I didn’t want to kill her!” “Listen,” the confessor began to reassure her, “if you have repentance, then God has forgiveness of sin. After all, He forgave the repentant David.”
Joys cover sin, drive it deeper, but it continues to work from the inside. Thus, a person tramples on his conscience and therefore begins to harden, and his heart slowly becomes salty. And then the devil finds an excuse for him in everything: “This is a trivial matter, but this is a natural thing...” However, such a person has no peace, because the disorder driven deep does not stop. He feels uneasy and has no inner world and silence. He lives with incessant torment, suffers and cannot understand the reason for all this, because his sins are covered from above, driven deep down. Such a person does not understand that he suffers from having committed a sin.
Conscience in psychology
Psychology studies the properties of conscience and its relationship with other mental abilities of a person. Psychology tries to establish two points: a) Is conscience natural property the person with whom he is born, or is it the fruit of upbringing and is determined by the life conditions in which a person is formed? and b) Is conscience a manifestation of a person’s mind, feelings or will, or is it an independent force?
Careful observation of the presence of conscience in a person convinces us that conscience is not the fruit of a person’s upbringing or physical instincts, but has a higher, inexplicable origin.
For example, children discover conscience before any education from adults. If physical instincts dictated conscience, then conscience would encourage people to do what is beneficial and pleasant to them. However, conscience very often forces a person to do exactly what is unprofitable and unpleasant for him. No matter how the wicked may enjoy with impunity and no matter how good and praiseworthy people may suffer in this temporary life, conscience tells everyone that there is a higher justice. Sooner or later everyone will receive retribution for their actions. That is why for many people the most convincing argument in favor of the existence of God and the immortality of the soul is the presence of a voice of conscience in a person. 
Regarding the relationship of conscience with other forces of man, with his mind, feeling and will, we see that conscience not only tells a person about what is in itself good or bad in moral terms, but also obliges he must do good and avoid doing bad, accompanying good actions with a feeling of joy and satisfaction, and evil actions with a feeling of shame, fear, and mental anguish. These manifestations of conscience reveal cognitive, sensory and volitional sides.
Of course, reason alone cannot consider some actions as morally good and others as morally bad. He tends to find one or another of our and other people's actions either smart or stupid, expedient or inexpedient, profitable or unprofitable, and nothing more. Meanwhile, something prompts the mind to contrast the most profitable opportunities with good actions, to condemn the former and approve of the latter. He sees in some human actions not only benefit or miscalculation, like mathematical calculations, but gives a moral assessment of actions. Doesn't it follow from this that conscience influences reason with the help of moral arguments, acting, in essence, independently of it?
Turning to the volitional side of manifestations of conscience, we observe that will itself is a person’s ability to desire something, but this ability does not command a person what to do. The human will, as long as we know it in ourselves and in other people, very often struggles with the demands of the moral law and strives to break out of the shackles that constrain it. If the volitional manifestation of conscience were only the implementation of human will, then in this case such a struggle would not exist. Meanwhile, the requirement of morality certainly controls our will. She may not fulfill these demands, being free, but she cannot renounce them. However, even failure to comply with the will of the demands of conscience does not go unpunished for her.
Finally, the sensual side of conscience cannot be considered as only a sensual ability of the human heart. The heart craves pleasant sensations and avoids unpleasant ones. Meanwhile, violation of moral requirements is often associated with strong mental anguish that tears apart the human heart, from which we cannot get rid of, no matter how much we wish and try. There is no doubt that the sensory ability of conscience cannot be considered as a manifestation of ordinary sensitivity.
Penance: Medicine for a sick conscience
Films about conscience:
The bill is non-evening. From September 17. Faith and conscience
About conscience
How to awaken your conscience?
Introduction
1. The concept of conscience
1.1 Conscience and shame
1.2 Types of conscience according to Fromm
2.1 The task of conscience
2.2 Functions of conscience
3. Imperativeness of morality
4. The importance of conscience in pedagogy
5. Functioning of conscience
Conclusion
References
IN conducting
Conscience is a person’s ability to critically evaluate his actions, thoughts, and desires. At the same time, a person realizes and worries about an unfulfilled debt, misbehavior, whose assessment he “gives” himself, feels guilty.
Conscience is a person’s internal controller.
Moral values guide a person in his behavior. This turns out to be possible not because it is beneficial or pleasant for a person to take them into account in his decisions and actions. These values function in such a way that they influence the will of a person.
Moral values are always proclaimed in a form that indicates the need for their practical implementation in actions. Following moral values is perceived by a person as a duty.
If a person is calm when he fails to fulfill his duty, he is immoral, he is called “unscrupulous” - he has not learned, the most important moral guidelines have not been accepted by his soul. An unscrupulous person is restrained only by external control, otherwise he will harm others. Such people show their boundless malignity: they steal, lie, mock others without a twinge of conscience.
Psychologists have found that in families where there is strict external control and cruel punishments, there is a greater chance of raising an unscrupulous person. He will go towards his goal, neglecting all moral principles, not paying attention to the suffering of others. At the same time, families where trusting relationships prevail raise conscientious children who have a high level of internal self-control and moral reflection.
People who grow up in an atmosphere of attention and affection deeply internalize moral norms and ideals, they sympathize with others, perceive their suffering as their own and strive not to do evil.
1. The concept of conscience
Conscience is a person’s moral consciousness, the ability to distinguish between good and evil, prompting a person to make a conscious choice in favor of good.
When they talk about freedom of conscience, they mean the right of a person to profess any religion or not to profess any. The concept of conscience reflects the close connection between ethics and psychology.
Conscience is a trait of a person’s spiritual appearance, expressing his ability to internally evaluate his behavior, his feelings, as well as the actions and opinions of other people from the standpoint of good and evil.
Poor development of conscience in a person who, realizing that he has caused material or moral damage to someone, does not blame himself for this, does not feel shame, dissatisfaction with himself and the desire to improve the matter.
Conscience presupposes an individual's awareness of his duty and responsibility to himself and other people. In a difficult situation, conscience forces a person to behave in such a way as not to deserve reproach from loved ones and the entire people.
Conscience is an emotional phenomenon; it manifests itself through deep negative experiences, self-reproaches, reproaches, through a person’s anxiety and concern about the morality and humanity of his behavior.
Conscience is our inner voice, which either accuses us from within and oppresses us, or gives us a feeling of joy and satisfaction for what we have done. This is our internal controller and judge, incorruptible and impartial. We cannot convince ourselves that we acted well and correctly when our conscience denounces us that we acted badly.
Famous Russian philologist D.N. Ushakov in his dictionary describes the concept of “conscience” as follows: conscience - internal assessment, internal consciousness of the morality of one’s actions, a sense of moral responsibility for one’s behavior. And in the dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron: conscience is a person’s moral consciousness, expressed in the assessment of one’s own and others’ actions, based on a certain criterion of good and evil.
According to V. Dahl: conscience is moral consciousness, moral sense or feeling in a person; inner consciousness of good and evil; the secret place of the soul, in which approval or condemnation of every action is echoed; the ability to recognize the quality of an action; a feeling that encourages truth and goodness, turning away from lies and evil; involuntary love for good and truth; innate truth, in varying degrees of development.
So, we have found out that conscience is a certain substance that is capable of appealing to our feelings and emotions, will and reason, encouraging us to act in accordance with what we consider good and right.
1.1 Conscience and shame
Indeed, the experience of shame and the feeling of conscience are related, but they should be distinguished.
A conscientious person, as he improves, places increasingly higher demands on himself. A clear conscience is the normal state of a person fulfilling a moral duty; it is a reward for moral efforts. Domestic scientist of the 20th century. G. Bandzeladze believes that without a clear conscience, virtue would lose all value.
Conscience is intuitive, it perceives what is not yet there, therefore it must “work” before committing an act. Experiences after an offense will already be a shame. Conscience is activated only when a person knows moral standards. If he does not know them and is “morally innocent,” then his conscience cannot speak.
A person’s conscience is essentially independent of the opinions of others. In this, conscience differs from another internal control mechanism of consciousness - shame . Shame and conscience are generally quite close.
Conscience is called a "moral principle" or a "structure of internal discipline." One can support T. Florenskaya’s position in the difference between shame and conscience: shame is before another for oneself, conscience is based on compassion for another because of oneself, as the culprit of suffering.
Shame also reflects a person’s awareness of his (as well as those close to and involved in him) inconsistency with some accepted norms or expectations of others and, therefore, guilt. However, shame is completely focused on the opinions of other people who can express their condemnation of the violation of norms, and the experience of shame is stronger, the more important and meaningful these people are for a person. Therefore, an individual may experience shame - even for random, unforeseen results of actions or for actions that seem normal to him, but which, as he knows, are not recognized as such by the environment. The logic of shame is something like this: “They think this way about me. They are wrong. And yet I am ashamed because they think so about me.”
Shame is an emotional state or a deep human experience that arises as a result of the discrepancy between one’s behavior and accepted norms and the person’s awareness that he acted dishonestly or ridiculously (traditional interpretation of dictionaries and reference books).
The logic of conscience is different. Conscience is called a "moral principle" or a "structure of internal discipline." One can support T. Florenskaya’s position in the difference between shame and conscience: shame is before another for oneself, conscience is based on compassion for another because of oneself, as the culprit of suffering.
And this was understood historically quite early.
Democritus, who lived at the turn of the 5th and 4th centuries. BC does not yet know the special word “conscience”. But he demands a new understanding of the shameful: “Do not say or do anything bad, even if you are alone. learn to be much more ashamed of yourself than of others.” And in another place: “You should be ashamed of yourself as of others, and equally not do anything bad, whether it remains unknown to anyone or everyone knows about it. But most of all one should be ashamed of oneself, and the law should be inscribed in every soul: “Do not do anything indecent.”
Conscience is intuitive, and a person who “has it” knows how to feel it and relies on it in his choices. Such a person always acts thoughtfully, honestly, without causing harm to himself or the world around him.
We say about him “a conscientious person”, “lives according to his conscience”.
Conscience cannot be taught. Conscience is the personal experience of a mature person. In the process of raising a child, we give him only the prerequisites for feeling his conscience. Each person, growing up, goes through his own path of improvement.
1.2 Types of conscience according to E. Fromm
Psychoanalyst E. Fromm believes that there are two types of conscience - authoritarian and humanistic.
Authoritarian conscience expresses our submission to external authority. With an authoritarian conscience, we uncritically accept the commands of some external force, religious or social, and carry out its will because we are afraid. Submitting to an authoritarian conscience out of fear of punishment, a person follows commands that are far from his own interests.
The authorities pursue their own selfish goals and use individuals only as a means, forcing them into submission through the formation of mechanisms of authoritarian conscience. If a person deviates from the orders of the authorities, he feels guilty before it and suffers, fearing subsequent punishment. But as soon as people understand that power has lost its power and cannot harm them in any way, they immediately lose their authoritarian conscience and no longer submit to what they were timid and bowed to yesterday.
Humanistic conscience, according to Fromm, is the voice of the person himself, the best principle in him, capable of self-development. Humanistic conscience does not allow people to be slaves, to meekly submit to other people's interests, or to waste their lives in vain. She calls for self-realization, for embodying the best of your strengths and capabilities in order to build your life in harmony with other people. Sometimes the voice of conscience sounds indirectly through the fear of old age or death, when a person suddenly realizes that he has failed and has not fulfilled his duty to himself.
Numerous examples of heroism and everyday selflessness show that a person is selflessly capable of understanding the interests of others and fighting for them with no less energy than for his own. Here the altruistic nature of man is manifested, strengthened by the awareness of his moral duty. It is these two factors that form the source of energy of inspiration, spiritual uplift, which constitute the spiritual basis of selflessness.
Speaking about inspiration as a source of selfless virtue, let us remember another moral principle: “Whatever you do for others, you do for yourself.” In what way does a person acting by inspiration achieve satisfaction? In the consciousness that he committed an act dictated by his conscience.
Conscience is a moral characteristic of a person’s inner world. Conscience is also a test of good feelings and good deeds, which sometimes contradict personal interest. Imagine that you are driving a car to a very important meeting, your future depends on it, and you cannot be late. And on the road you see a man lying in a pool of blood, apparently hit by a reckless driver. The victim needs immediate help; There is no one except you to provide it. At the same time, no law obliges to immediately help the wounded. You can drive to the nearest traffic police post, report the tragedy and “wash your hands.” So, it's a matter of your conscience...
Conscience - and a person’s ability to respond to someone else’s pain. Is it an innate quality of any person or, like the ability to perceive music, is it not inherent in everyone? If we admit that man is an altruist by nature, then we should also recognize that every person has the natural rudiments of conscience, as well as the human ability to hear music. It is another matter that, under the influence of circumstances, such rudiments may not develop or, on the contrary, produce healthy shoots. Much depends on the attitude towards the person. If you treat him inappropriately, he will most likely respond in kind. And yet, much depends on the person himself, on his inner need to see others like himself, the ability to take his place.
Arises new question: is conscience a pure impulse of feelings or is it based on reasonable foundations? The Spanish philosopher Fernando Savater, in his remarkable book Discourses on Ethics, formulated similar rationales:
- a) if we want to live humanly, then we cannot be indifferent to others;
- b) it is necessary to constantly analyze whether we are doing what we really want;
- c) we must develop good taste in moral matters to such an extent that a natural feeling of disgust keeps us from immoral acts - the same, for example, as from the sight of a dead rat;
- d) we cannot avoid responsibility for our actions, citing the fact that we were not free in them.
Now let's return to the moral principle with which we have already become acquainted: “Whatever you do for others, you do for yourself.” How to understand it? And what satisfaction does a person get from what he does for others, in other words, from living according to his conscience?
Let's remember our example. So, you stopped on the road. A seriously wounded man lies in a pool of blood in front of you. What to do? The clock dispassionately measures the time that you have less and less left to catch a happy turn of fate. “Ah...” you think, “he will die anyway, but I have my whole life ahead of me and a brilliant chance.” You step on the gas and rush to the meeting point, the time of which cannot be changed. Of course, you are not a monster and at the very first traffic police post you report the victim. You made it to the meeting and thanks to it you succeeded in life: you got a good position and a big salary.
But... Wouldn't you have a problem? constant feeling anxiety and distrust of people, because you cannot be sure that if misfortune happens to you, someone will help you. Not out of revenge. It’s just that everyone will be in a hurry about their fateful affairs. How will those around you who learn about this story react to you? With caution, distrust, apprehension, even hostility. Even those who rationally find excuses for you will be wary. And, of course, the prestige of a new good position will fade. And let's be very practical: your leaders are unlikely to want another fateful meeting for you. You have lost. You have sowed distrust in yourself and in other people both in your soul and in those around you.
Now let's go back to the traffic accident. You see how a wounded person suffers, you feel his pain, you put yourself in his place, and maybe you imagine that one of your relatives or friends could also die here. And the failed fateful meeting already seems petty and insignificant to you in the face of the unfolding tragedy. You are overcome by that selfless feeling of empathy, which thinkers called inspiration or, more simply, lifting the spirit... You carefully lay the wounded man in the back seat...
Yes, you were late for the meeting and lost your place, but you gained much more: you were convinced by your own example that human solidarity is not an empty phrase, you retained the hope that if misfortune happened to you, people would not leave you in trouble. You tested yourself for fortitude and became convinced of it. You have earned the gratitude and respect of the rescued person, his loved ones, friends, and those around him in general. And not only gratitude, but also a desire to help you in your difficulties (including, perhaps, with work). Such moral acquisitions are meant by the principle “Everything you do for others, you do for yourself.”
Question
Think about the example given to you. In which situation would you feel happier and more satisfied - in the first or second?