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What Is Conscience?
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PoiSoNeD_CaNdY replied on Fri Jan 23, 2004 @ 6:44pm |
 Coolness: 92380 | This was a topic on another board. This is the answer i posted:
Our minds have internalized ethical codes (ideas of what is right and wrong), which originated from society, religion, our parents, and so forth. Conscience is the internal voice that judges our actions (or intentions, or thoughts) according to the criteria of the ethical codes which we have internalized. When we perceive our behavior is being other than that which is the perceived "right" behavior, our conscience acts to impose guilt, shame, and regret. As such, conscience is a powerful mechanism for control over individual behavior. Imagine if you could internalize in others a certain code of what is good or bad - you then gain the power to control the actions of a potentially vast population. I beleive religion (particularly Christianity) and large societies exist precisely because of this form of control. Yet, many people view themselves as not living up to their ideas of right and wrong, and live in a state of perpetual guilt. What, then, was the cause of the deviance in the first place? The only explanation I can conceive of, is that much of our biological constitution works against the ethical codes we have internalized from others. Thus, when there is biological urge to do something which is in opposition to our internalized beleifs and values, internal conflict results. Also, we may be carrying around different ideas of what is right and wrong, which we have internalized from different sources. Society, religion, parents, friends, etc may all be issuing different evaluative criteria of what is good. Thus, if we behave according to one set of ethics yet judge ourselves according to another, guilt and self-doubt results. I see only two possible solutions to lifting the burden of consciencess from our souls: (1) Accepting one specific code of ethics from a source, and living to the letter according to that code, rejecting all other codes of behavior as being inferior. (2) Rejecting all external ideas of right and wrong as inherently subjective, thus freeing ourselves from our conscience. Complete acceptance that whatever one has done has been no more or less right than what anyone else would do in that situation. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Toltech replied on Fri Jan 23, 2004 @ 6:50pm |
 Coolness: 146110 | god you are such a nerd.....or I'm really dumb....which ever.....I guess what I'm trying to say is...it's to long man :(.....you got a pamphlet for me or something?.....better yet, a flyer....of a rave....ok nevermind... |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PoiSoNeD_CaNdY replied on Fri Jan 23, 2004 @ 6:56pm |
| Coolness: 92380 | haha no need to feel dumb. its pretty clear that, yes, i am a nerd |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» soyfunk replied on Fri Jan 23, 2004 @ 9:39pm |
 Coolness: 127460 | oh man this reminds me of how much i don't remember of my modernism class |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» beercrack replied on Sat Jan 24, 2004 @ 9:43pm |
 Coolness: 72125 | just be |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» blop replied on Sat Jan 24, 2004 @ 10:05pm |
 Coolness: 201220 | a conscience is not being a vice DON'T. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» G__ replied on Sat Jan 24, 2004 @ 10:25pm |
| Coolness: 142055 | lifting the burden of conscience??? that's pretty much like removing the mouth of your brain, you'd never hear it speak to you again...
how much does one love Carlos Castaneda |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» flatlinedive replied on Sat Jan 24, 2004 @ 10:45pm |
| Coolness: 64595 | ay ya
i like gordos answer |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Mico replied on Sat Jan 24, 2004 @ 10:52pm |
 Coolness: 151150 | Thats really intersting, and I do agree with you that religion does exactly that: Play on your conscience to impose guilt on your "unlawfull" actions. However, I don't find it necessary to simply reject all outside ideas, because in that case we all may as well become savage heathens running around pissing on peoples doorsteps. At the same time, accepting a specific code of ethics would be the easiest way of becoming guilt free, yet doing so, leaves all of us suceptible to control- which obviously is wrong, (depending on your point of view as well as the code to abide by).
I would have to say that taking both ideas and putting them together would be the best; Having an understanding of what is right and wrong, and at the sametime using your own instincts, to not be tripped out with guilt because you did something that so-and-so said was wrong. I guess that leaves the question open: To what actually IS right and what is actually wrong? I hope this all helpfull to whatever... and relevant for that matter. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» G__ replied on Sun Jan 25, 2004 @ 9:00pm |
| Coolness: 142055 | Flat line...well thanks
but, who are you, iiiii, am not sure |
What Is Conscience?
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