Ruland: tries to find a via media (the middle road) between rationalism and Divine Command Theory.
- sees a moral decision as reflecting an 'ethics of loyal scrutiny' (investigation) enriched by sources of moral and religious wisdom.
-conscience not just for christians.
-many interlinked sources of what he calls the ways of religious wisdom.
-Conscience seems to be less the 'voice of God' than our interpretation of that 'voice'.
O'Connell: conscience has 3 aspects or levels:
1) our general sense of personal responsibility for who we are and what we become.
2) sense of obligation to search out the good,using resources of moral reasoning,including moral community such as the church.
3) conscience is infallible (absolutely trustworthy) must be followed.
2) WRONG judgements can be made.
Moral values are discovered by moral reasoning and are imposed by neither external nor internal laws but are discovered by historical human experience of the consequences of action for human fulfilment.
Maguire: agrees with O'Connell.
-adds that, in discerning (insight and good judgment) what is the correct moral choice, we also need to consider the place of creative imagination, humour and tragic experiences of life, especially great loss, since these open us to new perseptions of value.
O'Connell and Maquire-------> conscience based on more than human reason. Also based on the , the shared experience of the past, shared experience of a culture and personal experience and affectivity…