application - adultery

• who gives a religious understanding to the application of the conscience to adultery?

  Augustine, Aquinas and Fletcher
• what would augustine argue?

  the conscience = innate voice of god would speak against adultery as it goes against divine law (10 commandments)
• what would aquinas conclude?

  the conscience, as the faculty of reason, will speak beforehand and remind them that adultery goes against primary precepts and divine law
• what primary precept does adultery break? how?

  living in an ordered society, as it would lead to societal breakdown
• why does aquinas think people may commit adultery?

  because the conscience can get it wrong, it is not fallible
• what would fletcher argue?

  that adultery isn't agapeic - when people are deceived
• HOWEVER...?

  fletcher would say that there could be circumstances where it is justifiable
• for example...?

  Mrs Bermeier, the person of war, who committed adultery to be reunited with her family = loving
• who gives a psychological understanding?

  freud
• what would freud say?

  committing adultery would lead to feelings of guilt, anxiety and remorse
• why would adultery lead to these feelings according to freud?

  surfacing from the subconscious mind of the individual who commits adultery
• what would this be?

  the repository of parental commands not to commit adultery
• HOWEVER...?

  if the child was brought up where adultery was normalised, could this mean there's no guilt for them?
• who gives a sociological view of application to adultery?


  durkheim, fromm and kohlberg
• what does durkheim believe?

  God is a mechanism through which society's rules are enforced
• why does durkheim believe that the conscience would speak against adultery?


  as people fear judgement from society
• HOWEVER, as fear of judgement is the main thing preventing adultery...?

  in some cases it's becoming more tolerated, marriage is now a social construct that can be broken, not a law before God
• what would fromm conclude?

  the authoritarian conscience would prevent you from committing adultery because your fear of society's disapproval
• why would kohlberg conclude that the conscience would prevent you from committing adultery?

  because adultery cannot be "universalised" - you are supposed to be thinking of the "greater good" - not just yourself
• overall, what would a sociological understanding conclude?

  adultery would be seen as socially destructive, as the stability of society depends on truth