butler

• what is Butler's understanding of the conscience?

  conscience is a reflective principle placed within us, by God, as a guide and governor
• Butler believed that conscience is a reflective sense of right and wrong, placed within us by God, as a what?

  nature guide and "proper governor" - it is our duty to follow it
• what does butler mean by a "reflective principle"?

  that we are able to reflect morally on what we have done in the past and what we will do in the future
• what do all humans therefore have?

  a reflective sense of right and wrong
• butler's analysis of the conscience is based on what?

  the two governing principles of human behaviour - prudence and benevolence
• by prudence, what does Butler mean?

  our natural love of self (egosim)
• by benevolence, what does butler mean?

  our natural love of others (altruism)
• for butler, what is the conscience about?

  balancing these two things, balance of the two is needed for the individual to function morally
• conscience is that part of the hierarchy of the self which...?

  judges between prudence and benevolence
• as a judge, how does the conscience work?

  intuitively - we know intuitively when we are using our conscience because we feel ourselves weighing up between our love of self and love of others
• what else is the conscience?

  an autonomous judge (self-governing), it is a natural ability given by God
• butler argues that since this is a god-given faculty...?

  it must be followed
• finish Butler's quote: "there is a principle of reflection...

  in men, by which they distinguish between, approve and disapprove their own actions"
• what is a direct quote from Butler?

  "it is by this faculty, natural to man, that he is a moral agent"
• what is a direct quote from butler that shows since the conscience is a god-given faculty, it must be followed?

  "it therefore belongs to our condition of being; it is our duty to walk in that path, and follow this guide"
• what does "it therefore belongs to our condition of being; it is our duty to walk in that path, and follow this guide" show?

  the level of authority that butler gives the conscience
• for butler, conscience gave a what?

  intuitive awareness of right and wrong, and of the fact that God has created humans in such a way that their flourishing would come from obeying conscience
• (s) what does butler's view of the conscience make us?

  morally responsible for our actions
• (s) how does butler's understanding of the conscience make us morally responsible for our actions?

  we are not being told what to do, we have been gifted the ability to reflect on our actions by God
• (s) what does this reflect?

  free will, and means that we can be held accountable for our actions
• to butler, when do moral dilemmas occur?

  when there is a conflict between our emotions, desires and moral principles that we subscribe to
• when we are conflicted, our conscience is troubled, therefore...?

  following conscience is a good way of ensuring that we have got the balance right
• (w) HOWEVER, what do some people not have?

  a balance between prudence and benevolence, for example, some people are overly selfish and only consider themselves
• (w) some people don't have a balance between prudence and are overly selfish and only consider themselves so...?

  has butler misunderstood human nature?
• (w) further, what does moral evil suggest?

  that not everybody has this inner reflective principle - if we all had a conscience that informed us of good/evil, there would be a lot less evil in the world
• what view of the conscience is butler?

  religious