On the Homonymy in the Speech on Conscience

Werner Wolbert

Faculty of Theology of the University of Salzburg

Abstract

In publications on the subject of “conscience”, too little attention is usually paid to the ambiguity of this term. As a practical reason, for example, the judgement of conscience affects all people according to the same standard, as internal legislator and judge it affects only the respective person. Here the question arises for the ethicist as to how such internal legislation (autonomy) is to be understood. Sometimes “conscience” also refers to the moral subject, the addressee of the verdict of conscience.

Keywords:

Conscience, practical reason, moral sense, autonomy