As defined, morality is

CHAPTER 4 the standard of human acts that is

considered and recognized as right
or wrong, good or evil.

CONSCIE
THE PROBLEM
NCE
An individual is responsible for his own
In contrast, an act that has no moral
actions and somehow these actions are judged
significance or simply unrelated to morals is
by others based on what they commonly see on
called unmoral or nonmoral.
the outside. A person knows when he is judged
by others through comparing people’s
Examples of moral acts:
judgement with his own action and putting
1. Always tell the truth.
together both to arrive at a final perception
2. Do not destroy property.
forming a reflective knowledge of his own
3. Keep your promises.
responsibility. This action of recognizing his
4. Do not cheat.
own responsibility is more properly a form of
5. Treat others as you want to be treated.
consciousness, sometimes interchangeably
mistook with conscience.
Examples of Nonmoral acts:
1. Stealing
A person does not only judge and thinks
2. Lying
about how far his own responsibility is, but he
3. Murdering
also weighs the goodness and badness of his
4. Anything is considered to give harm to
acts. Whether he choose to do a certain good or
oneself or others
bad act, this power to do is called conscience,
wherein it renders a decision appealed from our
Thus, moral and nonmoral is contradicting with
own inner voice. All men, regardless of what
each other.
their morals are, make judgements of
conscience. Thus, the study of conscience
In judging the morality of an
should be beyond the scope. It is where we find
individual’s actions, the subjective peculiarities
an equitable basis and moral judgement for it.
of an agent looking into his act as per
Nonetheless, an individual must be honest to
conditioned with knowledge and consent,
himself and follows the good of what he sees.
background, prejudices, emotional stability and
In this chapter, the following points are
personal traits are to be considered. Asking
to be discussed:
whether a certain action reflects good or evil.
1. What is morality?
Morality is examined as a subjective morality
2. What is conscience?
and set on whether the act reflects or disagrees
3. How is the judgement of conscience formed?
with the agent’s own conscience or inner voice.
4. Must we always follow the dictate of
However, morality is also considered as an
conscience?
objective morality, it is when we judge an
5. May we act with a doubtful conscience?
individual’s action by looking only at the kind of
6. How can doubts of conscience be solved?
act performed and the external circumstances it
displays. Disregarding any other reasons behind
DEFINITION OF MORALITY
that certain act and just deliberate the will of that
kind of act.
 Examples of Subjective and Objective
morality:
Situation: A student who works during the night
and attend school at daytime cheated on the
midterm exam.
Subjective morality: Asking “Is his reason valid
about cheating?”, “Did he considered and
discern the circumstances of his act regardless of
his situation?”
Objective morality: Asking “Is cheating an evil
act?” “Is dishonesty forbidden?”
In its completeness, morality includes
both objective and subjective aspects, pertaining
equal treatment on both, unless certain acts are
just and invalid of their own with the judgement
of conscience. Ethics as defines as a study
stresses equitable moral. An individual has his
own way to live life but he must be utmost
accounted for his own actions and deeds as what
he sees them. He is responsible for assessing the
goodness and badness of his acts by sincerely
following his conscience even if human
judgement is objectively incorrect. If this
happen, the subjective morality is predominant.
DEFINITION OF CONSCIENCE
Conscience is frequently thought of as
an “inner voice” that tells an individual about
what is the true or correct act to be done,
sometimes it is also called the “voice of God”.
A person experiences a reaction of
subconsciousness due to their past experiences.
Sometimes these experiences can often give
moral estimates resulting to a feeling of doubt,
worried or uneasiness or even guilt when in fact
it is not reasonable. Though this is somewhat
close to the definition of conscience, in the
traditional sense conscience is not recognized by
this. Decisions under conscience is always
rational and it doesn’t mean that it is always
correct. Since conscience came from the
cognitive aspect of a person, it is considered the
intellect itself in a special function where in it
assess the goodness and evilness of an action
displayed by an individual. Conscience serves as
a guide a person in his human activity, but since
nothing is made perfect, conscience can also
dispute to mistakes forming false moral
judgements. What an individual accepts is
correct and how an individual chooses what is
correct. By educating a person regarding his
own qualities and perceptions, it turns into the
standard we use to judge whether our activities
are moral. Therefore, conscience may be
recognized as good or evil based on its practical
reason. The following is applied in the term of
conscience:
⦁ The intellect as the ability to discern
individual acts.
⦁ The procedure of reasoning that the
intellect goes through to reach such a decision.
⦁ The acumen itself which will be the
conclusion of this reasoning procedure
In the judgement of conscience
reasoning process is somewhat similar to logical
deductive argument. Wherein the major premise
is the moral principle, the minor premise as the
particular act to be done under the scope of the
moral principle and the conclusion is the
judgement of conscience itself. This reasoning
process happens naturally inside of us but
somehow, we didn’t notice doing it but in
general, we have been acting upon this naturally
for years now.
Example:
Changing answers during the checking of papers
is considered as an act of cheating.
I changed my answer during checking time.
What I did what an act of cheating.
KINDS OF CONSCIENCE
Conscience is an individual’s moral
sense of good and bad. It views as the acting
guide to one's behavior. Conscience judges the
morality of a human act, how it is performed,
and the consequences an action can attain.
Conscience may be guided to the future actions,
prompting a person to do them or avoid them, or
a judge of an individual’s past actions, the
source of his self-approval or remorse.
Antecedent Conscience
⦁ The judgment of a person deciding on a
moral matter prior to acting on it. Antecedent
conscience either commands or forbids, counsels
or permits the performance of an act. For the
purpose of ethics, this kind of conscience is
more important.
Consequent Conscience
⦁ Either approves the act thus promoting a
sense of peace, well-being and spiritual joy. On
the other hand, it could also disapprove act
resulting the feeling of remorse or guilt.
Correct Conscience
⦁ Tells a person when something is a good
choice or a bad choice and judges what is good
as good and what is evil as evil.
- Example: You want to buy a new set of
novels but your cash is not enough.
Then, you saw your father’s wallet on
the table at your house, your conscience
will tell you not to steal or get money
from your father’s wallet because your
mind knows that as part of the ten
commandments, stealing is bad.
Erroneous Conscience
⦁ On the common-sense suppositions that
moral judgements are true or false, and judges
incorrectly that what is good is evil and what is
evil is good.
- Example: Choni is still not permitted by
her parents to have a boyfriend, and yet
she has one. When her parents asked her
if she has a boyfriend, her conscience
tells her to lie to her parents about it.
Certain Conscience
⦁ is a subjective assurance of the lawfulness of
unlawfulness of certain act. This implies the
person is sure of his/her decision. It is possible
however to be sure of something as good when
it is just the opposite, and vice versa.
- Example: Even if it is unnecessary, in a
crime situation, a policeman is sure that
killing the suspect with a weapon is the
best alternative under the principle of
self-defense.
Doubtful Conscience
⦁ A state of mind when it cannot certainly
decide for or against a course of action and
leaves the person unsure about morality of what
one is to do, or may have.
- Example: You think it’s a fast day, but
you are not sure, but you want to eat this
snack right now. You don’t go look it
up, to make sure it is or is not a fast day.
You eat the snack. If it had been a fast
day, you would have sinned, out of your
negligence.
Perplexed Conscience
⦁ When the mind sees both in the performance
and in the omission of some human act to be
done here and now.
- Example: A poor widow who has
received benefits from an important
person, that person committed a crime
about which she knows. Her conscience
is indecisive whether she will witness
and tell the truth in court or not because
whichever alternative she’ll choose, her
conscience tell it seems wrong.
Scrupulous Conscience
⦁ When the mind is unduly swayed by fear and
judges that something is wrong that in fact is
lawful. In short, you see one when there is none.
- Example: Keyshane did not asked for
permission to her parents that she will
go swimming. You, as her close friend,
was asked by her parents the
whereabouts of Keyshane, without
knowing what Keyshane did, you told
her parents that she went swimming.
And so, Keyshane was scolded by her
parents and was grounded for a week.
You think that it was your fault that
Keyshane was grounded where in fact it
is not.
FOLLOWING THE JUDGEMENT OF
CONSCIENCE
Having seen what conscience is the
main form it takes, we must learn the
responsibility in following what conscience
disapproves or approves. Chief rules that
involves a problem are:
 Always obey certain conscience.
The difference between certain and
correct conscience. The correct describes the
objective truth of the person’s judgment
while certain describes the subjective of a
person’s judging.
There are two possibilities:
- A certain and correct conscience.
It conducts a judgement of a person with
absolute certainty or correctness. It is
required that the conscience should be
prudentially certain which defines as
excluding all means of reasonable fear
of errors.
Example: You witnessed a scenario in
which an employee was blamed for
something he didn’t do. Following the
certain and correct conscience, you can
say that the employee is honest and not
guilty and should not be blamed.
- A certain but erroneous conscience
A person who doesn’t know that he is in
error and has no means of correcting it,
his conscience is invincibly erroneous.
But since a person does not recognize
his error, it is not subjectively wrong,
hence, a certain conscience must be
followed not only when it is correct but
also when it is invincibly erroneous to
serve as a guide for the performance of
concrete actions.
Example: During online class, your
classmate’s internet connection
fluctuated and cannot join the google
meet, thus, you logged in her account
instead on her behalf. You think that
what you did is good but somehow there
is a hint of error in your action because
you are representing a virtual lie to the
whole class. But you think that what you
did is just opted to help your classmate.
You are not responsible for the error,
but is responsible for your own choice.
 Never act with a doubtful conscience.
Every doubtful conscience can
be turned into a certain conscience, that
no one will need to remain in doubt
about what he will do. However, it is
just sometimes accidental. It is still more
likely about not being sure of the
rightness and wrongness of your action,
and intends to not avoid the probability
of that act as a wrongdoing. Thus,
doubtful conscience should never be
followed. A person with a doubtful
conscience must learn how to correct or
gather correctness against his doubts
about the rightness or wrongness of a
certain act. Before doing something, he
must assess it carefully first. The direct
method and indirect method can be
formed by conscience by the principles.
Note that they are not offered a choice
between direct and indirect method.
Always do direct first then indirect after.
FORMING ONE’S CONSCIENCE
The doubting person was
exhausted the direct method without
getting the knowledge:
⦁ What is the actual truth on the matter
in hand?
⦁ What is one obliged to do in such a
situation?
First theoretical doubt, and this is the
question that cannot be answered. It is the
uncertainty of mind concerning the mere truth or
error of something and does not presently
concern one's own personal action. The second
is practical doubt, it is the uncertainty of mind
concerning the prudent course of action or the
moral rectitude of something to be done here
and now. This alone can be solved in a every
instance.
Forming one’s conscience is the process
of correcting a practical doubt without touching
the theoretical doubt. It is accomplished using
the reflex principles in which a person uses his
mind while reflecting on the doubt and
ignorance which eventually finds itself.
MORALLY SAFER COURSE
This means that a person with utmost
certainty to avoid wrongdoings and preserves
rightness of his actions. An individual is always
allowed to choose the morally safer course.
Example: In the classroom, your teacher scolded
your classmate for being late. You knew the
reason behind your classmate’s action, but you
are not obliged to act upon, so you are doubting
if you are allowed to help explaining or not, so
the safer course is to just omit the act you
planned.
Another example: In a situation wherein you are
allowed to act but you are doubting if you are
obliged to act, example is you borrowed a pen
from your classmate, and you in doubt if you
already returned the pen or not but you found a
similar pen beside your chair, so the morally
safer course is to do the act and give the pen you
saw to your classmate and risk giving the wrong
pen.
However, there are also situations when we are
obliged to do the morally safer course, it is when
there is an end certainly to be obtained and the
doubt is concern in the effectiveness used for its
purpose.
Example: It is your birthday, and someone
blindfolded you surprisingly, you were startled
you wanted to slap the person who blindfolded
you but you doubt whether the intention of the
person’s act is for surprising you on your
birthday or just joking around.
DOUBTFUL OBLIGATION
It is applicable only when a person
doubts whether he is bound by an obligation, or
a person’s doubt of conscience is concern on the
lawfulness and unlawfulness of an act that he
ought to do. This principle is used in the
following situations:
1. Doubting whether an obligation exists
2. Doubting whether the obligation applies
to the person’s case.
Example: Since online class is conducted at
home, you are sick at the moment and you are
doubting whether you are excused in class or not
given the fact that you are not going to leave the
house and just attend the class at home. This
bring up a question: “Am I allowed to absent in
class when I’m sick though I am just at home? Is
there any law that is applicable to my case?”
Then if the direct method fails to prove any, then
you are morally justified in doing actions based
on this principle.
How doubtful does the law or duty have
to be to lose its binding force? The view that as
most maintained in theory is the practice of
probabilism. Probabilism requires solid
probability or the law or duty does not exist or
apply to a person’s case for an individual to be
free from an obligation. Solid probability means
that the reasons against obligations are valid. If
it is not certain then it is doubtful, and when it is
doubtful, it does not bind. Generally, decisions
and actions must be made with certain
conscience which enabled through this theory of
probabilism.
CONCLUSION
In forming one’s conscience in general
displays precision or more likely digging into its
simplest aspect. Ethics is not just about the
morals that a person should have, but it also
tackles about what an individual is strictly
obliged to do. Knowing one’s perception about a
certain conduct is essential. However, it is
difficult to determine the rightness and
wrongness of an act basing on our willingness of
judgements. Thus, we need to carefully learn the
specific details of these principles.
SUMMARY
Morality is the standard of human act
that distinguishes good from evil. It can either
be subjective or objective, depending on the
doer of an action taken as per conditioned.
Conscience is thought to be an inner
voice of a person that dictates an individual to
do the right thing and arriving at a judgement
towards an act if it is wrong or good. The
reasoning used in the process is similar to
logical deductive argument which consist of the
major principle, minor principle and the
conclusion.
There are several kinds of conscience.
The antecedent conscience which counsels or
permits the performance of an act. Consequent
conscience which disapproves act resulting the
feeling of guilt. Correct conscience which
judges an act of goodness as good and evilness
as evil. Erroneous conscience, which is the
opposite of correct conscience. Certain
conscience assurance of a certain act base on its
lawfulness, in contrast is the doubtful
conscience. Perplexed conscience sees both the
performance and omission of an act to be done.
Lastly, scrupulous conscience sees something
wrong when there is none.
In following the judgement of
conscience, the chief rules are: 1. always obey
certain conscience which has two possibilities,
the certain and correct conscience which
conducts a judgement of a person with certainty
and rightness and the certain but erroneous
conscience in which a person doesn’t recognize
his error and has no plans of correcting it. 2.
Never act with a doubtful conscience. Before
doing something, a person must assess his
judgement and learn to correct them because
every doubtful conscience can turn into a certain
conscience.
In forming one’s conscience, direct
method of inquiry is to be used then the indirect
method to he followed thereafter is no results are
found. Indirect method includes the theoretical
doubt that is defined as cannot be answered and
practical doubt which is solved in an instance. In
forming one’s conscience, the practical doubt is
corrected without touching the theoretical doubt.
The practical doubt can be solved using
two reflex principles and this are morally safer
course and doubtful obligation. Morally safer
course is being preferred to use, this means that
a person avoids wrongdoings and preserve the
goodness of his acts. On the other hand, doubtful
obligation is applicable only when a doubt is
bound by an obligation.
Probabilism requires solid probability
(reasons against obligations are valid) for an
individual to be free from an obligation. A
doubtful act does not bind thus actions must be
made with full certainty enable through this
theory.