CONSCIENCE 1

1. Conscience is a judgment of the practical reason

- PRACTICAL REASON, is that aspect of the intellect that knows in

order to act, as opposed to
- THEORETICAL REASON, is that aspect of the intellect that
knows for knowledge sake.
2. In judging, conscience applies the Natural Law to the specific action to be
carried out, or to the action in the process of being carried out, or to the action
which has already been carried out. As any judge, conscience DOES NOT
CREATE THE LAW.
3. Conscience judges the moral goodness or the moral evil of an action
 CONSCIENCE 2
A judgment of conscience can be:

- Objectively true (TRUE CONSCIENCE)

- Objectively false (FALSE CONSCIENCE)

- (Please write in your notepad the meaning of true and false

conscience)
- (Please write in your notepad what a correct judgement of the moral
quality of an action entails)
 CONSCIENCE 3
1. At times you are completely sure of the morally good quality of your action
- (please write in your notepad the type of conscience in this case)

2. Sometime you do not know whether to do or not to do something

Because you sense that that thing may not really be good.
- (please write in your notepad the type of conscience in this case)

3. What is the type of conscience which you should always act with?
- (please write in your notepad the type of conscience in this case)

4. What should you do when faced with the type of conscience mentioned in 2.
above?
- (please write in your notepad the type of conscience in this case)
 IGNORANCE
Imperfect knowledge of the Moral Law is due to IGNORANCE
Does this ignorance excuse from, or reduce moral guilt?

One should distinguish between:

- INVINCIBLE IGNORANCE
Write your answer in this case, and give examples
- CULPABLE IGNORANCE
Write your answer in this case.
 THE ROLE OF THE WILL IN AN
ACTION
Knowledge of good and evil, albeit imperfect, is not enough to move
someone to action.
ONE MUST WANT TO ACT!
The will plays an important role in action. However, in the pursuance of
the goods proper to man’s rational nature, the will is bogged down by:
- PASSIONS
- GOODS OF THE BODY (easier to pursue but not primary)
 SENTIENT LIFE (Life of the Senses)
- We have a body in common with animals
- Through our body we are open to the external reality by
means of the EXTERNAL SENSES (the classic touch, smell, sight,
taste, hearing).
- We also have INTERNAL SENSES which, in different ways
manage the information gathered by the external senses.
- Please note: external and internal senses have an organic
base, i.e. they are somehow connected with our bodily makeup
(ultimately with the brain).
- Senses produce a sort of knowledge called sense
knowledge (different from intellectual knowledge)
 INTERNAL SENSES

- UNIFYING SENSE
- IMAGINATION
- MEMORY
- INSTINCT