The Philosophy of the Moral Feelings

PART III.

OF THE MORAL PRINCIPLE, OR CONSCIENCE	155
Proofs of the Existence of Conscience as a Distinct Principle of the mind	156
Nature of its Operation as the Regulating Principle	157
Analogy between it and Reason	158
Its Influence in conveying an Impression of the Moral Attributes of the Deity	163
Knowledge derived from this Source	164
Comparison of the Divine Attributes with the Actual State of Man	167
Difficulties arising from this Comparison removed only by the Christian Revelation	169
Mental Process by which the Regulating Power of Conscience is Impaired or Lost	172
Influence of this Condition upon the Judgment in regard to Moral Truth	176
Influence of Attention in Moral Decisions	179
Man's responsibility for his belief	182
Important relation between Moral Emotions and voluntary Intellectual Processes	183

§ 1.—Of the Origin and Immutability of Moral Distinctions and Theories of Morals	190
Origin of Our Idea of Virtue and Vice	193
System of Mandeville	195
System of Clarke and Wollaston	197
System of Utility	198
Selfish System	199
System of Paley	201
Defect of these Systems in not acknowledging the Supreme Authority of Conscience	206
Objections to the belief of a uniformity of Moral Feeling which have been founded on the practices of barbarous nations	216
System of Dr. Smith, or Theory of Sympathy	219
Province of Reason in Moral Decisions	222
Remarks on the Observations of some late Writers respecting the Corruption of Conscience	227

§ 2.—Of the Harmony of the Moral Feelings	231
Consistency of Character arising from this Harmony,—and Defects of Character to which it is opposed	237

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