Conscience | AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062)
Conscience
- 73 questions
- 5 subtopics
- Component 1 Section B: ethics and religion
- Component 1
Religious and secular accounts of conscience, from Aquinas on synderesis and conscientia to Freud, and the question of how far it can be trusted..
It covers theories of Conscience and Their Evaluation, aquinas, Butler and Newman on Conscience, freud, Fromm and Piaget on Conscience, conscience and Everyday Moral Decisions and bentham, Kant and Religious Moral Decision-Making.
Sample questions from Conscience
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Theories of Conscience and Their Evaluation
In Freud's psychological account, how does the superego develop?
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The superego develops through internalisation of parental and societal rules during childhood, formed from external authority figures. -
Theories of Conscience and Their Evaluation
What is a key strength of conscience as a moral guide in terms of its accessibility?
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It provides immediate, personal moral direction that motivates action and is always accessible to the individual. -
Aquinas, Butler and Newman on Conscience
How does Aquinas distinguish between synderesis and conscientia in terms of their capacity for error?
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Synderesis is the innate orientation toward good that cannot err, while conscientia is the fallible process of applying this orientation to specific actions and can make mistakes. -
Aquinas, Butler and Newman on Conscience
How did Newman understand the nature of conscience?
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Newman viewed conscience as the voice of God speaking within the individual, providing direct communication of divine moral guidance. -
Freud, Fromm and Piaget on Conscience
What did Freud believe conscience ultimately reduces to?
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Freud viewed conscience as a product of psychological development that reduces to the workings of the unconscious mind, specifically the superego. -
Freud, Fromm and Piaget on Conscience
According to Piaget and Kohlberg, how does conscience develop?
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Conscience develops through stages of moral reasoning, progressing from heteronomous morality (based on external rules) to autonomous morality (based on internalised principles). -
Conscience and Everyday Moral Decisions
When evaluating whether breaking a promise might be justified, what must conscience do regarding competing duties?
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Conscience must weigh conflicting obligations to determine which duty takes priority. -
Conscience and Everyday Moral Decisions
What must conscience consider regarding the impact of adultery on other people?
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Conscience considers the harm caused to others, including the spouse and family members.
The 5 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Theories of Conscience and Their Evaluation | Recall questions on Aquinas, Butler, Newman, Freud, Fromm, Piaget and Kohlberg on conscience, its application to lying, promise-breaking and adultery, and its strengths and weaknesses as a moral guide. | 18 |
| Aquinas, Butler and Newman on Conscience | Recall questions on Aquinas's synderesis and conscientia and whether a mistaken conscience must be followed, Butler's conscience beside self-love and benevolence, and Newman's two elements of conscience. | 10 |
| Freud, Fromm and Piaget on Conscience | Recall questions on Freud's superego and guilt, Fromm's authoritarian and humanistic conscience, Piaget and Kohlberg on moral development, and whether conscience is innate or acquired. | 9 |
| Conscience and Everyday Moral Decisions | Recall questions on the part conscience plays in lying, promise-breaking and adultery, and what it must weigh in each case. | 18 |
| Bentham, Kant and Religious Moral Decision-Making | Recall questions on Bentham's hedonic calculus and his account of conscience, Kant's universal law and formula of humanity, and where each approach agrees or conflicts with religious moral decision-making. | 18 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 3,683 questions with their answers.