Is it safe to trust only your conscience?

Yes. Consider this post answered.

Welcome, Why.

I would say it is very dangerous - since your "conscience" is, I believe, the results of your early enculturation about what is right and wrong - often becoming engrained well before you have any real ability to rationally critique the messages you are given.

Therefore, if your parents etc believe that treating members of ethnic groups different from your own as fellow humans is wrong, if you trust your conscience, you may never critically examine the messages you were given - although, if other messages you are given conflict with this, you may.

I think it is wise to critically examine the dictates of conscience - and see how rational, fair (there's MY conscience speaking, lol) useful etc they are - and do your own examination of the bases for ethical decisions and behaviour.

I have always thought of conscience as being spiritual, while guilt is the nurture thing.

Welcome to A2K, why.

Yup. Years ago they were called psychopaths, then sociopaths. Today the "diagnosis du jour" is anti-social personality disorder. These people have not developed a conscience, cannot empathize, and are concerned only about their own needs.

http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-pe04.html

If I let my 'conscience be my guide' in certain situations, I would be in trouble!

Many of my decisions are based on the golden rule 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you'.

Some people, like career criminals, don't seem to have a conscience or they simply don't care about the consequences of their actions..for various reasons.

I don't feel like I have a strong conscience. Left to my own devices, I would do just about anything short of murder. I live my life on the straight and narrow simply because I don't want to hurt others, don't want to do things that are illegal...break the law and go to jail and because of religious teachings I've been subjected to since childhood.

I think most psychologists have boiled the concience down to the 'super-ego'. When my super ego ruled my life I was the most miserable I have ever been.

My super-ego was damaged - which lead me to realize that a Golden rule based society is flawed when ones measuring stick is flawed...

TF

From a Freudian viewpoint, you would be right, TTF, and cathexis is the ultimate goal.

TF, remember G.B.Shaw's critique of the Golden Rule: "Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you; their tastes may be different."
Also, Letty, we must be careful what we cathect to (which may be almost anything). Once sexual energy (libido) is invested in, or attached to, someone or something, that "object" rules us.

Curious: How do you think guilt and nurture go together?

JLN: Another lesson oh master. Thanks for the lead... I plan to track it down in my future readings.

I love this board!

TF

p.s. I just noted this is my lucky post... 77. Lucky indeed.

why, Because guilt is the product of what our parents impose, while conscience is what we finally come to see in ourselves. That is spiritual.

and JL, never for one moment has any object ever..and I mean EVER ruled my thoughts. When people can't talk in a straight foreward manner, without the hoopla of allusion, then what good is anything that matters. Allusion is for poetry, which I will never forsake, but there comes a time when the simpliest of things is what eventually becomes the greatest truth of all. Now we see through a glass darkly.....................................

Incidentally...f**k spelling...Have to add a little humor to the mix.

Letty, my comment regarding cathexis was intended for everyone, include you and including me. Also, my comment regarding the use of the Golden Rule was directed to TF and everyone else, including myself.

of course, JL.There is always a downside to everything...but nothing can quench the joy that I felt tonight on hearing my son's voice....the peace that passeth understanding.

All else pales before that one simple selfishness.

How long must we suffer the hoary errors of Freud? As long as Victorian England clothes us in raiments of what used to be. He became a victim of his own search.

Goodnight, I have said too much. (as usual)

I don't know Letty... I agree that Freud wa very flawed but I do see what JLN is saying about cathexis having a tendacy to rule some of our thoughts.

I was simply saying as far as consience goes it is a ego-centric measuring device. I can see thought that you are seperating the conscience from the mere cerebral to a more spiratual thing. I am not so sure.

Do you think that we all have a conscience that gives us a similar measuring device for what is right and wrong?

I can agree that it is impossible for me to seperate natrue from nurture at this point and that if I had a conscience that was 'natural' I woudl hae to do a lot of work to get colser to that beginning point.

TF

Sounds like some conservatives I've encountered.

Wilso.

TF, cathexis, I always thought, is just the balancing of energy between the id, the ego, and the super ego, and I'm not even a libra.

and I understand eoe's reluctance to debate faith. It's a very personal thing which usually ends up sapping that energy we speak of.

exactly, there are people on this earth without consciousness whether they were born that way or society made them that way, which of course still doesn't make society the scape goat, who knows. and why on earth would you rely on the law of the land to dictate what whether or not you should listen to your conscious, you should always listen to it, it is who you are unless you're a conformist in which i say philosophy is not for you.