10 - Conscience
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 May 2009
Summary
Newman gives his views on conscience mainly in two contexts. As one would expect, he considers the role of conscience in moral decision-making. How does a person arrive at conscientious moral judgements? What is the content of such judgements? How should one resolve conflicts between one's own conscientious moral judgement and the views of others whom one accepts as authorities to whom one owes due respect? More surprisingly, Newman discusses the role which conscience might play in grounding a person's belief in God. How is one to account for the particular force which the claims of conscience make upon us, and the very personal nature of those claims? Is there any sense in which conscience must be thought of as the voice of God? The two main sections of this chapter will therefore consider Newman's views on the role of conscience in morality and in theology. / Conscience and moral judgement / Newman prefaces his discussions of conscience with two important sets of qualifications which he insists must be borne in mind throughout his entire treatment. One is concerned with academic discussions about the extent to which our conscientious judgements are conditioned; and the other is the less rigorous but perhaps more widespread assumption that nobody else is ever entitled to criticize one's own conscientious judgements.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Companion to John Henry Newman , pp. 189 - 220Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009
- 3
- Cited by