Another doctrine repugnant to civil society, is that whatsoever a man does against his conscience, is sin; and it dependeth on the presumption of making himself judge of good and evil. For a man's conscience and his judgement are the same thing, and as the judgement, so also the conscience may be erroneous.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Claiming sin based on conscience is problematic because conscience and judgment can be mistaken.
- In plain terms
- Conscience can be wrong, so labeling actions as sin is risky.
- What can you take from it?
- Question personal moral judgments before condemning.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do we verify moral judgments?
- When is conscience trustworthy?
Another view
Some may argue conscience is a reliable moral guide.
More from Thomas Hobbes
The source of every crime, is some defect of the understanding; or some error in reasoning; or some sudden force of the passions.
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Permalink to quote #38 No man's error becomes his own Law; nor obliges him to persist in it.
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