BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Part Two ENTER.
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Transcript of BTLEW Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race Part Two ENTER.
B T L EW
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Part TwoPart Two
ENTER
B T L EW
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
I. Author
II. Human Conscience
III. Attitudes Toward Conscience
Background Background InformationInformation
B T L EW
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Mark Twain (1835-1901) was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in Florida, Missouri, but lived as a child in Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. He took the pen name Mark Twain from the call of the pilots on the river steamers, which indicated that the water was twelve feet deep, a safe depth for a steamer.
I.I. Author Author
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
During his early years, he worked as a riverboat pilot, newspaper reporter, printer, and gold prospector. But then he turned to writing, and became one of the greatest of American writers. Although his popular image is as the author of such humorous works as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
I.I. Author Author
To be continued on the next page.
B T L EW
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Twain had the other side that may have resulted from the bitter experiences of his life: financial failure and the death of his wife and daughters. His last writings are savage, satiric, and pessimistic. The present text is taken from Letters from the Earth, one of his later works.
I.I. Author Author
The end of Author.
B T L EW
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Through conscience and its related notion, synderesi
s, human beings discern what is right and wrong. While there are many medieval views about the nature of conscience, most views regard human beings as capable of knowing in general what ought to be done and applying this knowledge through conscience to particular decisions about action. The ability to act on the determinations of conscience is, moreover, tied to the development of the moral virtues, which in turn refines the functions of conscience.
II.II. Human Human ConscienceConscience
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Neither Plato nor Aristotle explicitly mention conscience, however. It is their discussions of the virtues, practical wisdom, and weakness of will that form the critical backdrop to medieval discussions of conscience. These discussions were heavily influenced by Augustine’s modification of these classical authors. For example, Augustine championed Plato’s notion of the unity of the virtues, but he argued that love of God provided the unity to them. Moreover, he claimed that what pagan authors regarded as virtues were in fact vices unless they were developed for the love of God.
II.II. Human Human ConscienceConscience
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Aristotle’s conscience can be defined as
possessing three distinct characteristics.
Firstly, the conscience is intrinsic, although to
varying degrees between individuals.
Secondly, the conscience is imperfect. Lastly,
the conscience is a source of good in the
world. Stringing these elements together, a
working definition of the conscience can be
constructed as follows: The conscience is an
innate sense of right and wrong that functions
for social betterment.
II.II. Human Human ConscienceConscience
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
As this definition takes into account only one
perspective, it can hardly be considered
adequate. Henry David Thoreau provides an
excellent opportunity to expand it. In his essay
entitled Civil Disobedience, Thoreau defines
two primary characteristics of the conscience,
although in a different light from Aristotle.
While both examine conscience in terms of a
functional government, Thoreau takes a more
idealistic approach.
II.II. Human Human ConscienceConscience
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Given that the conscience is intrinsic, imperfect, beneficial, imperative, rare, punitive, and rigid, the conclusive definition might be constructed as follows:
The conscience is an innate sense of right and wrong that creates a strict sense of guilt when violated and that, in its truest form, performs a vital role in social and personal betterment.
It is a mechanism that evaluates the worthiness of
our desires, urges, and actions. It is a moral
compass that points to goodness and excellence.
II.II. Human Human ConscienceConscience
The end of Human Conscience.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III.III. Attitudes Toward Attitudes Toward ConscienceConscience
Try to hear your conscience.
To bypass the chatter of negative thoughts, raging
emotions, and tempestuous temptations, you will
need to spend some quiet time with yourself. Your
conscience is your best friend. Relax in a
comfortable chair, without distraction, and give it
the opportunity to speak to you. With patience
and practice, your conscience will always be at
your side, available for guidance.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III.III. Attitudes Toward Attitudes Toward ConscienceConscience
Learn to think before you act.
Instead of acting in the heat of the moment,
pause; think things over, and act rationally and
morally rather than emotionally. Faced with a
choice, choose to do the right thing, to be
responsible. Develop sensitivity with constant
awareness and practice. A highly refined
conscience reacts to wrongdoing as quickly as
an eyelid reacts to dust.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III.III. Attitudes Toward Attitudes Toward ConscienceConscience
Remember that the voice of conscience is not a
suggestion, but an obligation.
Also remember that to know what is right and
not do it is as bad as doing wrong.
Judge your progress by your actions, not your
good intentions.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III.III. Attitudes Toward Attitudes Toward ConscienceConscience
Evaluate your motives. Don’t do good
for acclaim or happiness, but because it
is the right thing to do.
Gain liberation by becoming the master
of your life. Do this by becoming the
slave of your conscience. The freedom
you will gain is not the right to do what
you want, but the power to do what you
ought.
The end of Attitudes Toward Conscience.
B T L EW
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Part TwoPart Two
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