Wednesday, January 10, 2007

My Thoughts on Conscience

Conscience is an amorphous concept. How can one define what this strange and personal notion really is? Some describe one's conscience as the state of knowing right from wrong, but from whence does this understanding come? And, right or wrong in what circumstances? Slaying a hated neighbor or killing our country's enemies? Condemning a convicted killer to the death penalty? Euthanasia? Abortion to save a mother? Spying on a neighbor or foriegn entity? Assassination of an enemy of State? Where do ethics and morals fit in, and what is the difference, if any?
Apparently, some people (sociopaths) have no conscience at all judging by the injuries they inflict on other members of their society. Sometimes people override the dictates of their conscience for a just and urgent cause, other times to draw attention to themselves, or to satisfy an a hedonistic urge. Still another common reason for conscience-override is greed. People who have no conscience that reflects the generally accepted behavior of the societal community in which they live must be controlled by the fear of consequence: laws, ostracism, retaliation, etc.
In the Judeo-Christian society, conscience guidelines are based primarily on the Ten Commandments. But, if that were the only source, practically everyone within this community of thought would have a conscience with similar values. Enviornmental influences such as sectarian and ethnic cultural mores also plays a part in the establishment of a conscience.
Societal groups that rely on sources other than the Ten Commandments, Japan for example, might accept the caveat agains stealing, but eschew the commandment on lying. In a small crowded country stuch as Japan, stealing is an unforgivable violation of conscience, but telling lies is a part of the daily culture. The maintenance of harmony is so important that lying to preserve equaniminity is justifiable and acceptable.
In the American Indian culture, stealing from another tribe was once considered a badge of honor, but stealing within the tribe was unacceptable. In many African cultures stealing from those richer than the thief is considered okay and lying to achieve the theft is acceptable also. Some customs in Europe hold the concept of "noblesse oblige" which requires persons of royal blood render benevolence to others of common heritage as a matter of conscience. Chinese tradition respects the concept of quong xi, which demands that a favor be repaid, a concept found in Latin countries expressed as quid pro quo.
In other cultures, Islam for example, the value of mortality itself is so low that sacrificing life on earth is believed to transport the departed person to paradise. Christian culture encompasses the belief that a deceased person's soul, if "saved", may be lifted to heaven, but the deliberate ending of a life is to achieve that end is considered unconscienable. But, how about ending the existence by withholding life support from a person whose quality of life is near zero? A case in point is the divisive viewpoint over the care, feeding and death of Terri Shiavo. Another is the refusal of Pope John Paul to allow extraordinary measures to prolong his inevitable end. The salient point in the previous examples is simply that the values of conscience are governed by many sources, not the least of which is the parent figure's beliefs.
Conscience is a learned faculty that must be taught and must be chrystlized in a child's mind by a persons of authority acting in the parental role. If conscience is not implanted by the time a child reaches school age, it is probably too late. So, schoolteachers, law enforcement personnel and while other surrogate persons can control behavior to some extent, they cannot instill conscience. The instillation of conscience in young people is a terribly important task of parents or other parent-figures. Wanton disregard for the values of the society in which a person with no conscience lives is the enevitable consequence. And while fear of consequence may provide some control, sooner or later a person with no conscience will violate the accepted rules of conduct within that societal group. Prisons around the world validate this premise.