1. Chapter Three Conscience: The self in search of the good Nikhil Farias, Jacky Tam, Steve Jensen

4. The language initially introduced to you as a child is the basis of moral decisions and shaping you as a person. C. The importance of communication and language Based on commitments, moral stance and relations to others, you develop specific attitudes on certain ethical questions B. The importance of having direction in life Although individuals are unique and singular with a capacity to act and be free, others are not enemies of one’s autonomy. The other makes it possible for one to become their “true selves” as individuals of freedom. A. The importance of others Role in developing a “moral agent” Aspects of the “human”

6. A. The importance of others

11. B. The Importance of having direction in life

16. 1. Commitments 2. Moral Stance (Direction) Relation to others (physical stance) Knowing where you stand Knowing who you are

20. As a Holy Trinity student, one learns the importance of receiving a high school diploma and venturing off into post-secondary opportunities. Getting an OSSD and graduating to other pursue other options What is worth doing or not doing? According to a Catholic, abortion destroys the intrinsic value of human life deemed from the moment of conception. What’s the harm of abortion What is Good and Bad? Response an a Catholic, Canadian or HT student) Example Life Question

21. Meaningful : a meaning or purpose; "a meaningful explanation”;” a meaningful discussion"; "a meaningful pause" Trivial : insignificant: not large enough to consider or notice As a Canadian, an individual is taught to promote multiculturalism. National pride gives an individual and accent to proudly use and define himself/herself as a Canadian, thus one takes a stance to this. A multicultural society is meaningful, an accent is trivial What is meaningful / trivial ?

23. C: The importance of communication and language

25. Language: the verbal style by which people express themselves. Contains and shares with others common experiences and commitments Language Is expressed in moral and spiritual discernment through conversations with those who raised us. (e.g. family) These conversations not only have meaning for an individual but also for his/her conversation partners (mainly family). Through these conversations, a common language is achieved. When something is discussed/entered/experienced through conversation it becomes a sacred “object” and the basis to understanding oneself. Such objects include love, anxiety, and aspiration to wholeness, trust, wisdom and knowledge. An individual may take an innovative approach to understanding themselves, but essentially it is the “objects” exposed through conversations with the family that preliminarily define an individual. Expressing problems to outsiders is only possible, if an outsider shares this same common language first generated by family experience. The “self” exists within webs of conversation, first achieved by those that brought us up. Languages are sacred and can be meaningless to those who do not share the same experiences e.g. an “inside joke” is only understood by members who share the joke. This is the same with the language of Catholicism. “Eucharist”, “Trinity”, “Sacrifice”, “resurrection”, “transubstantiation” are understood only by Catholics and are very sacred in defining oneself as part of this religious tradition.

30. God = Love A communion of love involving Father, Son and Holy Spirit is formed by God. Love binds all three “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” into a unity. Trinity was the new word used to define this phenomenon. “Trinitas” being the Latin root word meaning “three occurring at once”! The love generated breathed the Son, which in turn breathed forth the Holy Spirit TRINITY

32. D: The importance of character and one’s body

40. E: The importance of conscience Conscience: the sense of what is right and wrong that governs somebody's thoughts and actions, urging him or her to do right rather than wrong

46. Freud examines three elements of personality associated with the mind, which he believes holds value to a conscience: ID The unconscious reservoir of instinctual drives largely dominated by the pleasure principle. EGO The conscious structure which operates on the reality principle to mediate the forces of the id, the demands of society, and the reality of the physical world. SUPEREGO The ego of another superimposed on our own to serve as an internal sensor to regulate our conduct by using guilt as it’s powerful weapon.

57. Conscience as Capacity Can you distinguish what is good and what is bad e.g. helping others or condemning others? Our fundamental awareness that there is a right and wrong. Do you value other people in life? Is it a personal responsibility to ensure societal well-being, not just for yourself but for others? Our fundamental sense of value and personal responsibility. Based on your identity. Do you recognise cheating in tests to be evil and studying and achieving to be good? Our capacity to know and do good, and to avoid evil. Example Element or Feature of this sense

58. Conscience as Process Taking drugs is morally wrong. The Catholic church teaches us to respect our bodies as they are sacred. If I take them, I could harm myself and those that I love. Searches for right through perception, reflection and analysis. I must find out if he did sabotage her religion poster and resolve the situation. Seeks to know the truth and to make it one’s own The catholic church, my parents, family, friends, school environment, habits and my character tell me as a human I must not do harm to others. Draws upon moral sources to understand what it means to be human in a moral way. Developed in the community What is my conscience telling me to do? As a manager do I please my employees or my public shareholders? Conscience must be formed an examined Is the Catholic church’s condemnation of abortion fair to those in society…e.g. such as myself? Moral disagreements, error, blindness and insight occur here. What are the implications of stealing and what is morally wrong about this? Knowing how to perceive accurately and to think correctly. Example Element or Feature of this sense

59. Conscience as Judgment I did not take the prize money because I did not successfully win the competition and learnt that cheating hinders true performance and fairness. Concrete judgement and decision to be made based on perception and values. Example Element or Feature of this sense I was forced to become an agnostic during the latter part of my life, but my bond with God is too strong and my connection to Christianity is too strong that my conscience would not withstand this decision. Secret core and sanctity with God. People must not be forced to act against their conscience. Hiding from my conscience whilst thinking about the thousands of dollars I spent as an alcoholic. I have now enrolled in a rehabilitation facility. This is the conscience that I must obey to be true to myself. I chose not to play the last game of polka at the casino, because I am particularly superstitious and a low risk taker. More than “this” or “that” choice, a decision is based on “this” or “that person. I knew the planned fight after school between the boys would end in disaster, so I informed a teacher to sort the matter out. I can’t stand for violence and physically outside the school environment. Conscience makes a moral decision, moral action and expresses a certain stance.

64. Moral behaviour is developmental: tied to intellectual, social and spiritual growth. Moral behaviour (what is good and bad) and values that guide moral actions are acquired from family, friends, school, community and formal institutions. These give rise to our character in determining “right” and “wrong” and thus come into play when facing a moral decision. Sometimes, one thinks they are doing something good, when in fact they are doing the opposite. They also find it impossible to reason the right course of action. Conscience can sometimes be malformed due to a lack of information, faulty reasoning, misinformation received from others or faulty value structures. A well-formed conscience is well informed. You have a responsibility to be informed about issues of moral living as well as other moral thinkers.

65. Humanity can be discovered through shared human experiences, but also through yourself. To understand human reality, you need to SEEK OUT INFORMATION FROM OTHERS. Confusions in the decision-making process Who can help you to inform your conscience? Are all values and norms in the community good, or can some be destructive to the community’s members. What happens when one has to choose conflicting goods? E.g. lose weight or eat another piece of cake? Solving a dilemma is only possible with moral maturity: this developed over time. This process lies within the people you interact with as well as with yourself. You need to constantly seek what it means to be human.

66. Moral questions can be sought out from the magisterium of the Catholic Church! “ For a Catholic to make a decision of conscience with indifference to, or in spite of, the magisterium would be forfeiting one’s claim to be acting as a loyal Catholic and according to a properly informed conscience” Magisterium : The official Teaching office of the Church