by Mary W. Matthews

Created on: June 13, 2008

Conscience is based on the ability to tell right from wrong and to make moral decisions thereupon. When we choose rightly, we feel good, even if the only good result is the feeling that we acted with integrity. When we make the wrong choice, we feel guilty or ashamed. We live in fear of the consequences of what we have done, and often we lie to cover it up.

Conscience is probably like language: the capability is hard-wired into the human brain, but not the specifics. Just as I can speak English and you can speak Spanish and she can speak Chinese, different cultures can have different opinions on what is or is not wrong, evil, or sinful. Some cultures see nothing wrong with cannibalism in everyday life, for example, while others reserve it to religious ritual. Some cultures believe that "thou shalt not kill" covers war, capital punishment, euthanasia, and killing animals for food; in the U.S., "Christian" leaders tell citizens that there is no disconnect between Christianity and preemptive warfare. (But whom WOULD Jesus bomb, if his finger were on the button?) Some cultures insist that only their values are approved by God, and anything else is "moral relativism" — despite the fact that their "God's Housekeeping Seal of Approval" values invariably include misogyny, inequality, hypocrisy, exclusiveness, and oppression of minorities.

Nevertheless, having a conscience is vital in moral decision-making. A moral decision is needed when you are trying to distinguish between right and wrong. Moral values are generally shared values. For example: public drunkenness is disgusting; torture is both useless and contemptible; helping people in need is good; pedophilia should be punished — unless the pervert is a Roman Catholic priest, in which case he should be reassigned to a different diocese and his crimes should be covered up. (You say you disagree with that last point, as I do. If you are a member of the Roman Catholic Church, your actions contradict you.)

Most cultures share certain fundamental moral values: truthfulness is good. Murder is bad. Loyalty, justice, and promise-keeping are good. Doing harm to someone unnecessarily is bad. Problems tend to arise when different cultures, or even different people within a culture, disagree as to the scope of their values. For example, when is removing a piece of tissue the size of a grain of rice okay, and when is it "murder"? Is truthfulness more important than preventing a terrible crime? Is spanking "necessary

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