Conscience and Moral Decision-Making

Conscience and Moral Decision-Making

What is conscience? Is it the voice of God, the voice of reason, or merely the internalised voice of social conditioning? The concept of conscience is central to moral decision-making and has been understood in radically different ways by theologians, philosophers, and psychologists. This lesson examines the major accounts of conscience — from Aquinas\'s rational account to Newman\'s theological account and Freud\'s psychological account — and considers how conscience functions in practical moral dilemmas.

Aquinas on Conscience: Synderesis and Conscientia

St Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) developed the most influential philosophical account of conscience in the Christian tradition. Aquinas distinguished between two aspects of conscience: