What is conscience? What is Conscience and Conscientiousness? What is pangs of conscience

“You have no conscience!”, “I wish I had a conscience!”, “Conscience is the best controller.” "Remorse." We have heard these and many others more than once or twice in our lives. So what is conscience? Why do we need it? How do we know whether we have it or not, and how not to lose it?

Conscience is a kind of regulator of our relationships with people around us. At the same time, everyone has their own regulator. A person’s conscience is a purely individual concept, there is no standard in it, it cannot be measured and said: “My conscience is greater than yours.” It all depends on how capable a person is of regulating his moral and ethical behavior, the norms of which are different for everyone and depend on their environment, personal qualities, and life experience. At the level of feelings, conscience helps us evaluate the wrongness or correctness of actions or deeds.

Conscience: conscience in life examples

Conscience has a strong influence on our lives and can lead to serious moral suffering (especially for emotional and sensitive individuals) as a result of committing a bad or even simply wrong act towards someone. For example, we can be rude to a passenger in transport due to our irritation or lack of upbringing. A so-called “conscientious” person will apologize for his inappropriate behavior immediately or will experience “pangs of conscience” for a long time, but for an “unscrupulous” person rudeness is the norm, nothing can be done about it. We can be rude to our parents, who never tire of teaching us about life, but then we realize that we were wrong, because from childhood we were taught that being rude to elders is bad. In many situations in which we become participants every day, conscience protects and warns us from committing actions that we will later regret, as if giving an alarming signal about the fallacy, incorrectness or inappropriateness of this or that action.

What is conscience: sources of conscience

The foundations of conscience are laid in us by our parents at an early age (at 3-5 years), and the process of its formation is called upbringing. At the same time, the most important role here is played not by verbal stories about what is bad and what is good, but by the visual behavior of the parents and their reaction to the actions and actions of the baby. To cultivate a conscience in a child, you need to work hard. So, if you say that lying is bad, and then you yourself tell a lie, what can you expect from a child who believes that everything his parents do is the norm for him? If you teach a child to respect the adult generation, and then take it out on each other or on others, will the beginnings of conscience bear good fruit? If your child does something wrong, you don’t need to immediately shout: “You can’t do that!” and punish him for his crime. Explain clearly why exactly it is impossible, what negative consequences this may result in (“If you touch the hot surface of the iron, you will burn your fingers, it will be very painful, you will not be able to play with toys, draw”, “If you do not pick up the toys from the floor and If you don’t put them in place, someone will step on them and they will break,” etc.).

Shame, shame and conscience

When we condemn someone, we can say that we are shaming the person, trying to awaken his conscience. The feeling of shame is an indicator of moral behavior. It is believed that it has such a synonym as shame. This is not entirely true. Shame is actually a certain state of our soul, self-condemnation. Shame is a state of mind imposed on us, one might say, a provocation. Someone insulted us, told an unpleasant story about us, and we took it upon ourselves, we feel disgraced (and it doesn’t matter whether they told the truth or made it up). And here the person begins to gnaw at us more deeply than conscience.

What is conscience: varieties and forms of conscience

The science of morality, in particular conscience, is called ethics. Ethics classifies conscience according to:

2. Form of manifestation (individual, collective).

3. Intensity of manifestation (suffering, muted, active).

Forms of conscience are also represented by a fairly wide range of manifestations: doubt, painful hesitation, reproach, confession, shame, self-irony, etc.

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 revelations 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 complete arbitrariness and licentiousness would have established themselves in human society. 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 as the inherent human 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 paradise, 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 further: 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 depends on the general state of 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 by different people in completely different ways, 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, and both to 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 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 appears to be 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 in which deeds that are disapproved from the dominant point of view are elevated to the level of virtue, complete agreement with the views of all people is observed in everything else concerning moral concepts.

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 the 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 on the cross made a cleansing sacrifice for our sins. 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 trample 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 restless and lacks inner peace 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 a natural property of a person with which 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 enjoy with impunity and no matter how good and praiseworthy people 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, 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 fulfill the demands of conscience by will 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?

Conscience

And so conscience - what is it? Let's first see what Vicki thinks about this:
Conscience is the ability of an individual to independently formulate moral duties and exercise moral self-control, demand their fulfillment from himself and evaluate the actions he commits; one of the expressions of a person’s moral self-awareness. It manifests itself both in the form of rational awareness of the moral significance of the actions performed, and in the form of emotional experiences - feelings of guilt or “remorse” [source not specified 1736 days], that is, it connects reason and emotions.

To some extent, this is indeed true.
But let's look at it deeper, removing all the developments and raids.

We all know that there is a certain core in a person, it is not in vain that they say that a person does not change, indeed, the core is given alone for life, and it does not change. But sometimes we hear one of our friends tell us that a mutual acquaintance, what a great fellow he is, he has changed (and maybe in...

There were Darwinists who argued that conscience is an unnecessary feeling that should be gotten rid of. It is interesting to quote the words of Hitler, who, as is known, was one of the thinkers of social Darwinism (the doctrine according to which the laws of natural selection and the struggle for existence, which, according to Charles Darwin, operate in nature, extend to human society): “I liberate man from the humiliating chimera called conscience.” And further…

In ancient Greek. mythology S. gets fantastic. depiction in the form of the image of Erinyes, goddesses of curse, revenge and punishment, pursuing and punishing criminals, but acting as benefactors (eumenides) in relation to the repentant. In ethics, the problem of personal socialism was first posed by Socrates, whom he considered the source of morals. a person’s judgments are his self-knowledge (ancient Greek….

There was one ancient wisdom among the people: “Even though conscience has no teeth, it can gnaw the soul.”

And it just so happened that people began to forget these words, like many other important things. But it was not in vain that our ancestors made up proverbs about conscience. They knew that without her the Russian people would be lost and they would not be happy.

So, what proverbs about conscience and duty should every person know? Why does he need them? And what is conscience anyway?

What is conscience?

It just so happens that each person has his own conscience. "Why is that?" - you ask. Yes, because every person is built differently. Some are brought up in good families and taught goodness and order, while others are raised in evil ones. Therefore, growing up, people have different ideas about morality, and accordingly, their conscience is different.

According to psychologists, conscience is the moral and ethical rules that determine the inner world of an individual. Violation of these unwritten laws leads to the fact that a person begins to experience...

What is conscience and what does it mean to live according to conscience?

Most people have some kind of internal censor that helps them distinguish between positive and negative aspects in life. It is important to learn to listen to the voice inside yourself and follow its advice, and then it will serve as a guide to a happy future.

What does conscience mean?

There are several definitions of this concept: for example, conscience is considered the ability to independently identify one’s own responsibilities for self-control and evaluate committed actions. Psychologists, explaining what conscience is in their own words, give the following definition: it is an internal quality that gives a chance to understand how well a person understands his own responsibility for the act committed.

To determine what conscience is, it is necessary to note the fact that it is divided into two types. The first includes actions that a person performs with a certain moral background. The second type involves the emotions experienced...

People always talk about conscience, sometimes without even understanding what is meant by this concept. Let's figure out what conscience is. Conscience is often compared to a compass, which is so necessary for travelers to avoid getting into trouble. In appearance, it is a simple device with a magnetized arrow that always points north. But if it works correctly and if it is used in conjunction with a detailed map, disaster can be avoided. This is very similar to conscience. If she is properly trained, she will protect us, but only if we respond quickly to her warnings.

Different opinions about conscience

Without conscience we would be lost. There are many theories regarding the definition of conscience. For example, the Bible explains what conscience is. Literally, this word means “knowing oneself.” This ability to know ourselves is given to us by God. It turns out that we can see ourselves from the outside and evaluate our actions, decisions and feelings. Conscience not only contributes to our joy, but can greatly...

“You have no conscience!”, “I wish I had a conscience!”, “Conscience is the best controller.” "Remorse". We have heard these and many other statements about conscience more than once or twice in our lives. So what is conscience? Why do we need it? How do we know whether we have it or not, and how not to lose it?

Conscience is a kind of regulator of our relationships with people around us. At the same time, everyone has their own regulator. A person’s conscience is a purely individual concept, there is no standard in it, it cannot be measured and said: “My conscience is greater than yours.” It all depends on how capable a person is of regulating his moral and ethical behavior, the norms of which are different for everyone and depend on upbringing, social environment, personal qualities, and life experience. At the level of feelings, conscience helps us evaluate the wrongness or correctness of actions or deeds.

What is conscience: conscience in life examples

Conscience has a strong influence on our lives and can...

Following the discussions

Conscience: a brief summary of the discussion of the same name

Who among us is not familiar with our inner voice, called conscience, 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. Just as a hungry person cannot convince himself that he is full, and an exhausted person cannot convince himself that he is cheerful and full of strength and energy, so we cannot convince ourselves that we have acted well and correctly when our conscience convicts us of what we did wrong.

I. WHAT IS CONSCIENCE?

1. Dictionary definitions:
Ushakov's Dictionary: Conscience is an internal assessment, an internal consciousness of the morality of one’s actions, a sense of moral responsibility for one’s behavior.
Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: Conscience is a person’s moral consciousness, expressed in the assessment of one’s own and others’ actions, based on a certain criterion of goodness and...

1) Conscience is 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 various manifestations, a person’s S. reflects the impact on him of specific. historical, social class living conditions and education. S. does not generate, but only consolidates and reproduces those values and assessments that have been developed in society. practice, and therefore ultimately depends on the class. and societies, human belongings. Scientific atheism is opposed to nihilism. attitude towards S., considering her creatures to be a feature of the spiritual appearance of the individual, and against the attitude towards her as an unchangeable and infallible judge given to us by God. With the progress of social and cultural progress intelligence. honesty as one of the requirements of S. more and more urgently requires the rejection of relit, faith, as having no logical. and factual justifications, as well as...

Conscience is the ability of the human spirit to distinguish between good and evil, the consciousness of good and evil (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov), a natural law that requires from the human mind a life pleasing to God (St. Abba Dorotheos).

Conscience is a desirable or active force (ability) of the human spirit, pointing a person to good and demanding its fulfillment. Being closely connected with reason and feeling, conscience has a practical character and can be called practical consciousness (St. Theophan the Recluse). If the mind knows and the senses feel, then conscience, as an active force, determines the type of activity of the spirit in relation to an object cognizable by the mind and sensed by the senses.

In the word “conscience,” the root “news” together with the particle “co” indicates “communication” and “co-action.” Human conscience initially did not act alone. In man before the Fall, she acted together with God Himself, abiding in His human soul...

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. The feeling and consciousness of moral responsibility for one’s behavior and actions to oneself, to the people around him, 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 ...

What is conscience?

What is conscience and can you confidently be guided by your conscience? How does a Bible-trained conscience help you make good decisions in life?

Conscience

Walking down a busy street, you pass an elegantly dressed woman who, without noticing, drops a wad of money. Bending down to pick this one up
pack, you see a woman hastily getting into an expensive car.

What will you do? Will you call out to her or quickly hide the money in your pocket?

It depends on your conscience. What will she tell you? More importantly: can you trust her? Can you confidently guide your conscience?

Conscience is a natural sense of conviction about what is good and evil, just and unjust, moral and immoral. In the Bible, the principle of conscience is described in Romans 2:14, 15 in these words:

“For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do what is lawful by nature, then, not having the law...

Introduction

Even in ancient times, philosophers and sages pondered about this voice: where does it come from and what is its nature? Various assumptions and theories have been put forward. The presence of this voice created special problems for philosophers and scientists of the “new time”, who see in man only a material being and deny the existence of the soul.

Conscience refers exclusively to internal moral concepts. It implies a person’s ability to evaluate his behavior, his motives, and internal desires from the standpoint of awareness of his own imperfection. A person’s conscience is always a conversation alone with himself, therefore it excludes the presence of categories such as shame and fear, which are more of an external response to non-compliance with generally accepted norms. The feeling of one's imperfection and dissatisfaction with oneself leads a person to moral experiences known as “reproaches of conscience” or “pangs of conscience.”

In Christianity, conscience is one of the gifts given to man by God. This is good for a person, as it does not allow a person to completely turn to the path of sin. Christians are instructed to train their conscience, which means to constantly reflect on the conformity of their actions with Christian morality.

If incorrect behavior leads a person to a “troubled conscience”, on the contrary, successful...

Often, when committing not entirely worthy actions, a person feels negative emotions inside. A certain discomfort arises, sometimes quite strong, preventing you from continuing to exist in peace. This feeling is usually called conscience. This internal controller gnaws after negative actions, words or thoughts and brings satisfaction when the opposite behavior occurs. Although almost everyone guesses about its existence, few people can tell with confidence what conscience is, where it comes from and why it evokes certain emotions and sensations. It is worth understanding this in order.

What is conscience: popular definition

There are many interpretations of the nature of this phenomenon, explanations of what it is. A significant number of them are associated with various religious movements, where usually the specified term is understood as a certain feeling of guilt before higher powers (God) for violating the commandments given by them. An explanation is often given about the “light of truth” that prevents people from doing wrong. The popular definition of a sense of conscience that is not associated with religion implies in this case certain personality traits. Every mentally healthy and fully developed person develops an internal self-regulatory mechanism that helps formulate moral standards for the subsequent measurement of everything said and done, evaluating words and actions on their own scale of worthy/unworthy.

What are shame and conscience: innate or acquired?

Those who try to define this inner “policeman” are mainly confused about whether such a feeling is given a priori from birth or develops as one grows up, on the basis of the social influences experienced by a person, the moral principles instilled in him, accepted in a particular family or society as such. For now, this question remains open due to the lack of evidence on both sides. They agree on one thing: conscience is an internal framework formed by the person himself based on the moral principles he has adopted. Violation of such boundaries causes discomfort of varying intensity, and preservation, especially in a situation of difficult moral choice, improves self-esteem. The individual realizes that he has preserved his identity and has not allowed circumstances to trample on it.

How to explain to a child what conscience is

Parents of growing children and teachers who have to teach them in educational institutions face a similar need. Explanations must be given taking into account the degree of understanding of a particular baby and its age characteristics. When communicating with preschoolers, it is worth using specifics, giving examples available to them. One of the options: conscience is when parents forbid taking off a hat in the cold, and the child realizes that disobeying elders is bad. Therefore, when he takes off his hat, thereby violating his mother and father’s ban, he knows very well that he is doing wrong, which is why his soul hurts. You need to let the baby understand: this feeling is a helper, because it prevents you from behaving incorrectly, and you need to listen to it.

What is “conscience gnawing”

This expression hides the very range of feelings that is provoked by an act that does not correspond to the moral principles of the person himself. Its manifestations are associated with a sharp decrease in self-esteem. This appears due to the awareness of betrayal of oneself, one’s own inner beliefs. Usually the strength of such mental anguish is proportional to the severity of the offense. The range is great - from light “tingling” to real fire, bringing pain, preventing you from living fully further, especially if there is no possibility of correcting what you have done. Many people who turned into traitors or committed other vile acts, often, due to the inability to endure internal torment, dared to commit suicide.

What is remorse: a turn in a constructive direction

One should not assume that the understanding of what a person’s conscience is and its very action are destructive. Much depends on the perspective from which such moral problems are viewed. Attempts to fight manifestations of conscience, to drown it out by exposing the body to psychotropic compounds and alcoholic libations, give only a temporary illusion of peace. Misdemeanors do not go away - a person only runs away from them for a short time, so that later, as he sobers up, he feels a range of even more intensified negative emotions. It is undesirable to perceive this feeling as an enemy. A wise person will turn its manifestations to the benefit of self-development. It makes sense to use the prompts of your spiritual moral regulator to prevent undesirable actions and avoid behavior that can destroy your life. Such an approach will bring personal happiness and career growth, due to the respect of others.