layi:

I doubt if conscience should be authoritative is deciding whats wrong or right. I know what is right to someone might be wrong to another if conscience is followed. Moreover our conscience is a by product of the ideals we've left overtime as a result of our upbringing.

True talk, bro. One can even manipulate his own conscience to justify himself.

Definitely, the effects of ones actions can be seen and one can infer from that if what they did was good or bad. but there's just one little snag. Some people think they are doing the right thing even when they see the catastrophe caused by their actions.
The Nazis saw the evil they were doing but they still thought they were right, that they were cleansing the unclean race from the face of the earth.
This goes to show that their conscience was warped and they had the belief that the crimes they were perpetrating were for the common good of their race.
When I said Conscience, I meant for normal people, like you and I, not for prople who think they have a right to play King of all.

fabian:

[SNIP]
When I said Conscience, I meant for normal people, like you and I, not for prople who think they have a right to play King of all.

That's why I think Utilitarianism is probably the best philosophy to determine what is right or wrong:
What is good is what brings most happiness to the largest amount of people

And as an additional guideline, the principle of reciprocity should be added to that:
Don't do to others what you don't want to be done to you

Utilitarianism ensures the rights of society while reciprocity protects against the tyranny of the majority

Ok, I gues those theories Utilitarianism and reciprocity are better than Conscience then.
I concede.

fabian:

Ok, I gues those theories Utilitarianism and reciprocity are better than Conscience then.
I concede.

I would say that reciprocity and utilitarism [i]lead [/i]to conscience

I actually agree with what you said

con·science (knshns)
n.
The part of the superego that judges the ethical nature of one's actions and thoughts and then transmits such determinations to the ego for consideration.

@nferyn
I do not think utilitarianism leads to conscience. Conscience is individualistic while utilarianism is the accepted norm by d majority. People conscience oppose at times. You strongly believe there is no God but i also passionately believe there is GOD. We cant both be right. I wouldnt think conscience is strong enough to determine what is wrong or right.

I think he was kidding....
utilitarianism does not lead to conscience, its a totally different thing.
But utilitarianism presents a better option to rely on when Judging what is right and wrong, i.e ones' conscience may be warped.........

layi:

con·science (knshns)
n.
The part of the superego that judges the ethical nature of one's actions and thoughts and then transmits such determinations to the ego for consideration.

@nferyn
I do not think utilitarianism leads to conscience. Conscience is individualistic while utilarianism is the accepted norm by d majority. People conscience oppose at times. You strongly believe there is no God but i also passionately believe there is GOD. We can't both be right. I wouldnt think conscience is strong enough to determine what is wrong or right.

Your definition is a rather Freudian one, I must say. And Freud's view on psychology has been thoroughly refuted by modern psychology.
Utilistarianism is the principle by which one decides what the utility of an action is. Utility is then defined as I did. It's not really the norm of society.

My conscience is determined by applying those principles of utilitarianism and reciprocity. That's what defines it.
Somebody elses conscience may very well be totaly instinctual, it all depends from person to person

And actually, I do not strongly believe that there is no God, I'm an agnostic atheist, not a gnostic one (meaning that I have no knowledge of wheter or not here is a God, but that I do not believe there to be a God) In the absence of evidence (and not the evidence of absence, you cannot possibly disprove God) I take the position not to believe.