Divisions of Conscience

Antecedent Conscience

A judgment of conscience that happens before we act, deliberating and determining the morality of a future action.

Concomitant Conscience

A judgment of conscience that occurs at the same time as the action, accompanying the act with an immediate sense of its rightness or wrongness.

Consequent Conscience

A judgment of conscience that follows an action, resulting in feelings of peace for a good act or guilt for an evil one.

True/Correct Conscience

A conscience that judges correctly from true principles, accurately applying the moral law to a specific situation.

Doubtful Conscience

A state of conscience where the person is uncertain about the morality of an action due to a lack of knowledge or an inability to apply moral principles.

Erroneous Conscience

A conscience that judges incorrectly from false principles, wrongly justifying a sinful act or condemning a good one.

Vincible Ignorance

A lack of knowledge for which a person is morally responsible because it could be overcome with ordinary effort and diligence.

Invincible Ignorance

A lack of knowledge for which a person is not morally responsible because it could not be overcome by any reasonable effort.

Scrupulous Conscience

A habitual state of conscience that tends to see sin where there is none, often arising from anxiety, fatigue, or spiritual struggles.