Conscience

Conscience is the inner sense of moral right and wrong that guides thoughts, decisions, and actions. It is often experienced as a felt obligation, with guilt or remorse arising when one believes one has violated it. The word derives from Latin conscientia, meaning “shared knowledge” or “with knowledge of.” In ethical discourse, conscience is treated as an evaluative faculty that appraises motives and acts according to perceived moral standards.

Interpretations vary. Some view conscience as an accessible rational awareness of universal moral truths; others see it as the product of socialization and character formation. In psychoanalytic theory, the conscience (the superego) comprises internalized prohibitions and ideals learned from caregivers and culture. Developmental theories (Piaget, Kohlberg) describe how moral understanding and judgments mature through childhood and adolescence, while contemporary moral psychology emphasizes the role of moral emotions and intuitions, such as sympathy, anger at injustice, and rapid moral judgments.

Conscience is distinct from guilt, which is the emotional experience that can follow moral evaluation, and from law or custom, which are external norms. It can be influenced by religion, culture, personal experiences, and education, and may at times conflict with others’ consciences or with social or legal rules.

Critics note that consciences vary across cultures and individuals and can be biased or manipulated. Nonetheless, many traditions regard conscience as a central, if fallible, guide to ethical conduct and a resource for moral reflection and reform.