Kinds of Conscience

Kinds of Conscience
1. Correct or True Conscience judges what is good as good and what is evil as evil. It is correct
conscience which tells that getting the property of another without consent is stealing. It is also
correct conscience which judges that we ought to pay out debts.
2.Erroneous or False Conscience judges incorrectly that what is good is evil and what is evil is good. It
is erroneous conscience which tells the husband to have a mistress,since it is the macho thing to do.
Error in conscience comes from the following factors:(a) Mistake in inferential thinking such as
deriving a wrong conclusion from given moral principles; (b) Ignorance of the law; (c) Ignorance of the
fact and other circumstances modifying human actions; (d) Ignorance of future
consequences,especially those dependent on the free will of others.
An erroneous conscience whose error is not willfully intended is called inculpable conscience.It is
inculpable conscience operating in a person, who unaware of it, pays for grocery with "bogus" money.
(Ignorance of the fact)
An erroneous conscience whose error is due to neglect, or malice, is called culpable conscience.It is
culpable conscience which believes that cheating is good since it helps us pass the exam and
everybody does it anyway.
The difference between culpable and inculpable conscience lies in the distinction between a voluntary
error and involuntariness. It is culpable precisely because the error is voluntary on the part of the
person. It is inculpable because the error is involuntary, an "honest mistake".
EXAMPLES:
Consider the following examples of erroneous conscience:
 A cashier in a supermarket gave the costumer his change, unaware using fake money.
 A woman saw a beggar in the street asking for some food, but does not force people to give him.
The woman harassed the beggar saying he was a "snatcher" because of the fact that she
experienced the same situation of a man asking her for a penny but ended up snatching her
wallet away.
 An influence posted on his social media accounts about "all politicians are corrupt officials."
3.Certain Conscience is a subjective assurance of the lawfulness of unlawfulness of a certain act. This
implies that the person is sure of his decision.It is possible however to be sure of something as good
when in fact it is just the opposite, and vice versa. It is possible for a policemen to be sure that killing
the suspect is the best alternative under the principle of self-defense, whereas such killing is in fact
unnecessary.
Many theologians believe that a certain conscience should always be followed(Panizo: 65). This is to
preserve the integrity of the human reason. One who therefore contradicts his certain conscience is
morally guilty.
When a person has a certain conscience, he is very sure that his action is right or wrong. Sometimes,
he is right of believing that way but there are instances that what he believes is not right.
EXAMPLES:
 When a schoolgirl joined a fraternity because she strongly believes that this is the right thing to
do to free herself from bullying.
 When a man quit smoking because he knows that it is a very good way to make himself healthy.
 When the parents grounded their son for two weeks because they certainly believe he will
behave after the punishment.
 When the school principal expelled the three junior high school students due to cutting classes
several times.
4. Doubtful Conscience is a vacillating conscience, unable to form a definite judgement on a certain
action. A doubtful conscience must be first allowed to settle its doubts before an action is performed.
EXAMPLES:
 A great example of a doubtful conscience is the Robin Hood situation, we were told that Robin
Hood was a good person, however, we forgot about the fact that he was stealing money to give
to the poor. Doubtful conscience is similar to that we just have to imagine ourselves in his
position. If I was Robin Hood, will I feel good about helping the poor knowing that I am also
stealing money and food from the rich.
 Another example of a doubtful conscience is, You and your friends were going to the mall on
Saturday and you already said yes, but you forgot that you and your parents are supposed to go
somewhere as well. You planned on ditching your parents for your friends. When Saturday
came, you were doubting your decision and ended up just going with your parents
5. Scrupulous Conscience is a rigorous conscience, extremely afraid of committing evil. A scrupulous
conscience is a meticulous and wants incontrovertible proofs before it acts.
The scrupulous conscience one goes over and over in his mind his fault. Every detail has to be
accounted for. Often one thinks the confession is invalid. Having a scrupulous conscience one may
think he is not forgiven because a detail is left out. He may even write down his sins. It is a very
difficult way to be in.
EXAMPLE:
 Worrying or having fear that we are not in God's grace or not good enough or are in the state of
sin or something similar, so it robs us of the peace that Jesus came to give us.
6. Lax Conscience is one which refuses to be bothered about the distinction of good and evil. It
rushes on and is quick to justify itself. May Filipinos who act on the impulse of"bahala na"on matters
of morals are acting with lax conscience.
EXAMPLES:
 Giving in into doing sinful acts as long as they are not caught.
-some people show a lax conscience by giving in into evil acts without the fear of consequence as long
as they are not caught
 Blindly following a popular internet trend without weighing it in if it is right or wrong.
-sometimes, because of the popularity of social media today, we tend to follow trends without
questioning them and comparing them into our moral standards.
 Seeing an unjust act done in front of you and doing nothing about it.
-it is an example of lax conscience when you know that what is being done in front of you is evil and
unjust but you decide to do nothing about it because it will give you inconvenience.

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