BACHELOR OF COMMERCE

PRINCIPLES OF ETHICS HED3103

GROUP MEMBERS

 Hannan,Sumeya Saleh - 094310

 Leo Mwangi - 091801
 Saka Nicole - 088521
 Mathenge,Stephen Wachira - 094931
 Muriithi,Tiffany Kinya - 95114
 Joan Gikonyo - 094517
 Wanjiru Gakere - 092964

1|Page
CONSCIENCE ACCORDING TO CORMARC BURKE

CONSCIENCE AND TRUTH

 Conscience according to Cormac Burke, is the faculty of making judgements in relation to

the rightness or wrongness of one’s conduct, that is in relation to practical moral truth.
Conscience therefore can’t function on what it takes to be truth, but on what truth is.
 To bring an understanding of what truth is, Comarc Burke revisits the Gospel account of
Jesus’ judgement scene, where Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, ‘What is truth?’. Pontius Pilate
however, doesn’t let Jesus answer and here the writer describes this as a “deprivation of
mankind of what would have been one of its rarest treasures: a definition of truth from the
lips of truth itself”. Truth is therefore not something subjective, it is not a mere opinion on
which men can debate. The truth brought forth by Jesus was a truth that was valid for all.
Even as Christians would know, following Jesus would be to accept and to follow an
objective standard of truth.
 The original Protestant position held that man’s mind can find truth, that is religious and
moral truth ‘on its own’. This brings out the pre-existence of truth in relation to conscience.
Conscience however doesn’t determine or create truth. There is an intrinsic unreasonableness
in the concept of ‘creating truth’. Truth is uncreated. Truth may be discovered by man but not
invented by him. Truth is not subordinate to man or his conscience. Truth is therefore higher
than conscience and independent of it. Any man who denies that he is subject to truth is not
talking about truth at all.
 Conscience must look up to truth. Truth is free of conscience. It is not dependent on it. You
do not choose truth as if it could be presented to you amongst other possible truths. Truth
presents itself as one. And whether man decides to go by it or not, truth will remain to man as
true. However, much man may try to subject truth to himself, he will fail. Man cannot
manipulate or create his own truth. He can only do so with falsehood which is malleable and
can be bent to man’s will.
 Man can only act according to his conscience if he looks up to a standard of truth that is
above him, one that he respects and tries to measure up to. Conscience can only remain a
truth-seeking faculty if it preserves its humility. If it is proud, it will seek a form of

2|Page
 domination over truth. The concept that each man can create his own truth, his own system of
good and evil, with his autonomous conscience, leads to a lot of individualism, and the
destruction of the very idea of humanity. If all men cannot look up to an objective truth, or
have faith in the larger communities such as the State or Church, he will have lost trust in
how humanity is and what all men choose to follow. He will then have strong disregard for
most forms of authority as he feels that even the most objective truth can be subject to his
will. This will destroy mankind’s meeting ground, truth.

FORMATION OF CONSCIENCE

 It is educating our conscience in keeping with the true good as willed by the Creator. Human
beings are subjected to negative influences and tempted by sin to prefer their own opinions.
 Therefore, formation in virtue is required which prevents or cures fear, selfishness and pride,
resentment arising from guilt, and feelings of complacency, born of human weakness and
faults. Also required is the study of the Word of God, prayer, regular examination of
conscience, seeking advice from others who are in a position to know, and most of all,
acceptance of the Church’s authoritative teaching through the Magisterium.
 An upright conscience is one that knows the authentic principles of morality and can apply
these principles in practical circumstances of life. It also makes good decisions about specific
actions already done or to be done. In all that he says and does, man is obliged to follow
faithfully what he knows to be just and right. We call that man prudent who chooses in
conformity with this judgment.
 Conscience is defined as: the judgement of the intellect deciding, from general principles of
faith and reason, the goodness or badness of a way of acting that a person now faces. It is an
operation of the intellect and not of the feelings or even of the will. An action is right or
wrong because of objective principles to which the mind must subscribe, not because a
person subjectively feels that way or because his will wants it that way. Conscience,
therefore, is a specific act of the mind applying its knowledge to a concrete moral situation.
What the mind decides in a given case depends on principles already in the mind.
 These principles are presupposed as known to the mind, either from the light of natural
reason reflecting on the data of creation, or from divine faith responding to God’s
supernatural revelation. Conscience does not produce these principles; it accepts them. Nor

3|Page
 does conscience pass judgement on the truths of reason and divine faith; it uses them as the
premises from which to conclude whether something should be done (or should have been
done) because it is good, or should be omitted (or should have been omitted) because it is
bad. Its conclusions also apply to situations where the mind decides that something is
permissible or preferable but not obligatory.

CONSCIENCE IN RELATION TO ETHICS

 Conscience is commonly known as the voice in a human’s mind that helps him in
determining what is wrong and what is right. Conscience may exist because of one’s fear of
being influenced by their environment. In the age and century that we are in, it is almost
impossible for man not to be influenced by his environment. The only thing that he can do is
to distinguish between positive and negative influences. (Welcome the positive influences
and do away with the negative influences.)
 These influences can be done both knowingly and unknowingly. Depending on the type of
environment that man involves himself with, it can have a good or bad impact in his life. Any
influence in our thinking ends up influencing our conscience. Conscience and morals keep on
being formed and reformed. One cannot say that they cannot change a habit coz it can be
changed by adapting to a new habit.

Conscience can relate to ethics in two different ways:

• It can relate positively
• it can relate negatively.

 Conscience relates positively with ethics in the sense that one makes a good decision based
on how they have been brought up. If one’s morals are good and upright, then definitely their
conscience will allow them to choose the right decision.
 On the other hand, conscience affects ethics negatively in the sense that if one’s morals are
questionable, then their conscience is able to influence them negatively.
Hence, conscience goes hand in hand with ethics.

4|Page
CONSCIENCE AND NATURAL LAW

 According to St. Thomas, the Natural Law is “nothing else that the rational creature’s
participation in the Eternal Law.” Although man is master of his own conduct, he cannot
simply be a lawless being in an ordered universe.
 Yes, he can vary his actions as he pleases but as a creature of God he too has a law laid down
for him, a law that also participates in the Divine ordination and directive for all things. This
law, which God has prescribed for his conduct, is found in his very nature, so that it
underlines all his natural tendencies. His compliance to this law will eventually lead him to
his destined end. Thus all actions that conform with the law is to be morally right, and those
at variance with human nature are immoral or evil.
 According to St. Thomas, the Natural Law is “nothing else that the rational creature’s
participation in the Eternal Law.” [6] Although man is master of his own conduct, he cannot
simply be a lawless being in an ordered universe. Yes, he can vary his actions as he pleases
but as a creature of God he too has a law laid down for him, a law that also participates in the
Divine ordination and directive for all things.
 This law, which God has prescribed for his conduct, is found in his very nature, so that it
underlines all his natural tendencies. His compliance to this law will eventually lead him to
his destined end. Thus, all actions that conform with the law is to be morally right, and those
at variance with human nature are immoral or evil.
1. The natural law is given by God
2. It is naturally authoritative over all human beings
3. It is naturally knowable by all human beings.
 Conscience is an intrinsic element in the human soul that continually guides and pushes us to
do what is right and avoid what is wrong, and praises or condemns us after the action.
 We call the conscience the voice of God in us. If we are to situate conscience in our
discussion of natural law, it is the instrument used by God to persistently persuade man to be
what he planned him to be, as a part of the Divine ordination. Conscience guides the free will
of man; without this guide man is just a bohemian roaming aimlessly in the universe.

5|Page
  Conscience in this sense is the ultimate authority guiding human conduct. If one will be
asked to choose between two different acts, he must follow what his conscience dictates.
Although there is no fault in following a certain conscience, it becomes wrong when the
moral agent irresponsibly disregarded the education of his conscience.
 According to Catechism of the Catholic Church, man must not be forced to act contrary to
his conscience. [25] Conscience in this sense is the ultimate authority guiding human
conduct. If one will be asked to choose between two different acts, he must follow what his
conscience dictates. Take note however that the conscience we are talking in here is a
“certain” conscience, regardless of whether it is invincibly erroneous or correct.
 It is not permissible to act while in the state of practical doubt. This is because we are
allowing the possibility that an evil act may happen. Practical reason tells us that only a good
act is performed, and that evil should be positively avoided. Thus, we must first remove all
our doubts before proceeding in making the act.

 Although he has freedom to choose the course of his actions, Man is not a creature
wondering pointlessly in the ordered universe. There is still a beacon that continually pushes
him to follow the natural (moral) law which is so patterned after the eternal law. This natural
light implanted in his nature is the conscience. It is a moral authority which is ultimately
grounded in God.
 According to St. Thomas, the ultimate law that governs everything from its beginning to its
end is the Eternal Law.

CONSCIENCE AND AUTHORITY.

 According to Cormac Burke, the relationship between conscience and authority is one of the
most important and delicate of current questions. It cannot be separated from the relationship
between conscience and truth. The man who acknowledges that, though his mind is the only
means by which he can come to the truth, the truth is greater than his mind, acknowledges
the authority of the truth.
 The truth, so understood, clearly possesses absolute authority. It demands total submission on
the part of the mind. The mind may find the truth hard to accept, it may wrestle with it, be

6|Page
 tempted to resist it. But if it sees it as the truth, then it has no alternative - if it is to remain
sincere - but to surrender to it, to accept it.
 One can say that the truth commands allegiance, has authority; that it has power over man's
mind, that it rules from above. For example, 'Two plus two equals four' is an authoritative
truth. It demands acceptance from the mind. A moment's reflection states that a truth such as
this - 'two plus two equals four' - is not a product of the mind. Even if the mind didn’t exist, it
would still be true. It really is antecedent to the mind; it is above my mind. The mind can rise
to it, of seeing it. Once it does see it, once it becomes convinced of its truth, it accepts it. In
fact, as we have said, it cannot refuse to accept the truth once it has seen it - not, at least,
without losing its own sincerity and lying to itself.
 Trust and maturity. The mature personality accepts the advice or indications of others. And if
he has enough reason for trusting them, he follows their advice even in matters which are
beyond his own powers of checking personally. In fact, it is precisely when he is not able to
check for himself some matter he regards as important, that he will feel happiest to have and
be able to follow the indications of some authority he can really trust. A man is glad to have a
doctor or lawyer to consult, and readily follows their advice, in areas where he himself may
be ignorant, because he trusts their professional competence and integrity.
 The motorist who wants to get to Birmingham and consults a map, or asks an A.A. man, or
follows a signpost, is trusting authority and is very glad to be able to do so. He regards it as
no humiliation - unless he is a fool - to have to rely on maps and signs and guides to get to
his destination. Indeed, if he has been a bit uncertain about his way or feeling somewhat lost,
it is with a sense of relief - even of gratitude - that he reads the signpost he comes across or
listens to the A.A. man who offers to advise him.
 Most people will in fact trust the map or signpost more than their own unaided sense of
direction. It is logical. The map or signpost, they feel, is based on greater knowledge than
they possess. It is only reasonable to trust it more.
 Freedom of conscience is a precious thing - however often improperly understood. But
freedom of conscience is not best exercised at unmarked crossroads. At an unmarked
crossroads, the man who wishes to get somewhere - the man who thinks his choices really
matter - wants a compass, a map, a guide. He wants information. He needs to inform his
conscience. And that, in matters of salvation, is the marvelous function of the Church. The

7|Page
 Church's authoritative teaching does not force conscience; it informs it. It provides
conscience with vital information. It removes doubts. It gives certainty. In doing so it does
not take away our personal freedom. It simply makes it easier for us to exercise it, if we wish,
in choosing roads that are divinely guaranteed to lead to Heaven.
CONSCIENCE AND FREEDOM
 For most people in the world, according to Cormac Burke people question what freedom is
and how they can apply it to their own life. One starts to yearn for freedom at the
controversial teenage years. At that time when one can neither be called a child or adult one
feels the need to make their own decisions in their own lives without the interference of their
parents or guardians. They want to go out and party, come back home at the wee hours of the
morning, experiment with sexual related matters with the members of their opposite
respective sex and most importantly, the constant feeling or actual need to question authority.
 As one grows older and mentally and spiritually become an adult, the person’s definition of
freedom changes in comparison to their definition of freedom as a child or when they were
an adolescent individual. One begins to feel the true meaning of freedom when they can pay
rent for their house, earn a salary and be able to decide how to spend it and on what things in
particular, no one questions your whereabouts or your actions because now you should be
responsible for your own actions.
 But is this really the true definition of freedom. Throughout history man has questioned his
ability to choose all the things he has freely. This aspect of life was greatly questioned during
the time of slavery of the black man on the plantations, colonization of almost half the world
by the British, imprisonment of the Jews in the concentration camps and many other
injustices that have plagued the world over the years.
 According to philosophy, the definition of freedom is the ability to choose the good. For man
to choose the good he must have a guiding system whether internal and external so that he
achieves his ultimate cause which is happiness. The internal guide can be described as the
little voice that tells us what to do in moments of conflict with our own desires. This internal
in born little voice is usually described as the conscience.
 The conscience may be defined as the judgement of the goodness or badness of certain acts.
From the illustration given above of one reaching the age of reason they yearn freedom to
choose the good things in life. However, whatever makes one feel good may not be the

8|Page
 ultimate good that yields positive results in the long run which help you achieve true
happiness. One may want to go out and party with friends at night which is not a wrong
decision unless they are going out on a school night and they would like to engage in
underage drinking that is when the act may be judged to be morally bad.
 The conscience comes into play when one consults their own heart or mind the morality of
their acts, when one hears the little voice or inner feeling about the act they are about to
perform, when performing the act or after the act. One may be free and decide to choose to
stay home and wait for the legal age to drink alcohol or because it is a school night. In the
long run, one’s conscience will be calm and reward the person with tranquility in their life
and subsequent decisions that will follow later in life.
 When one reaches adulthood both mentally and spiritually, the conscience guides them to
make decisions that will benefit them in the end. For instance, when one has a job and is
finally paid at the end of the month, they are free to do whatsoever they please to choose the
good with their own hard-earned money. The conscience guides them to make decisions like
to buy food instead of spending all the money on alcohol.
 Cormac brings into question whether we truly understand the relationship between freedom
and conscience in our lives. Yes, it is true that freedom entails one to choose whatever they
want, however, as human beings we are naturally steered towards actions that will help us
achieve the good and not things that will do us harm in the end. Therefore, the conscience
comes into play when it judges for us, as to whether the action we about to partake in or have
already partaken is good or bad.
 He goes on to argue further that when man chooses to let’s say have sex after marriage or
decides to be promiscuous, he always knows what is right or wrong at the back of his mind.
He may be free to do as he pleases but he is not free from harming himself by making bad
decisions because his conscience will not be at rest. For they know to truly enjoy the pleasure
of sex, he needs to understand the intimacy involved in the act and why it is usually stated
that it should be done with one person and in a marriage. Because it is a sacrifice of one’s
body, mind and soul to the other person.
 When he spoke of love in a relationship which leads to commitment, he refers to how many
people view commitment at something that doesn’t allow one to be free. However, one can
be free in a committed relationship because as man’s nature is to pursue the good and love is

9|Page
 good, he is free to be himself and treat their partner with respect without feeling constrained
because it is not something they question. It is a feeling that comes naturally.

CONSCIENCE AND MORALITY

 Morality is something you learn with experience, it can be by observing your elders and
people around you. Once you get to know the consequences of any action you make
judgement in your head right there by deciding if this act got punished it must be wrong and
if it was appreciated/rewarded, it’s a good thing to do. You make that notion even when you
are a kid and as you grow up those notions become stronger for some and when you see a
different aspect of those already established notion in your head you tend to get confused.
 There comes a role of your understanding and experience which makes you decide this is
morally right or wrong. Morality is externally oriented. Conscience on the other hand comes
from within. It is an inherent knowledge of right and wrong. One experiences guilt feeling
when engaged in any task and you get that feeling of inner voice stopping you to do that.
That is your conscience stopping you do that.
 Conscience is internally focused. In terms of conscience and morality there are a few
common misconceptions. These include;
 Conscience as built in moral guidance system.
 Conscience is understood to be a kind of natural faculty or power. Some depict it as
the very voice of God who, through conscience, can guide our actions directly. If not
so depicted, it is presented as at least responding to the external dictates of moral
authority in the manner of an internalized moral guide.
 Conscience as moral sense. In this case conscience is perceived as a kind of intuition which
simply cannot be accounted for or explained in terms of human reasoning. Sometimes called
the “moral sense,” conscience, from this viewpoint, must be developed much like developing
the ability to pick a winning race horse, assess a person’s character, or keep a group of school
children well behaved and attentive.
 Conscience as moral opinion, It is represented as simply that process by which I consider
moral matters and come up with my best judgment. Basically, what I ought to do or not do.

10 | P a g e
 When I am convinced of this judgment, it enjoys superiority over all other moral points of
reference, trumping any other considerations. As such, my judgment of conscience is perfect
and absolute. My conscience is my moral compass.

11 | P a g e