The Conscience of a Person according to Thoreau - Essay Example

In this case, what one thinks as right is the principal determinant that guides his or her actions, his morals, and ethical standards notwithstanding. Therefore, conscience determines what is right action or wrong but not the other way. The conscience of a person is usually inclined to do what is right and it incorporates moral and ethical standards. This implies that ethics and morals constitute a person's conscience and hence they can be depended on while doing the right thing. A person can be sure on whether what he or she is doing is morally correct.

The conscience of a person contains a moral component that informs the most appropriate action for any given situation. Therefore, when a person is confronted with any situation, he or she can be 100% sure of whether it is morally correct or not. For example under normal circumstances, it is immoral to kill another person. This explains why in most situations people do not murder each other as animals do in the jungle. Therefore, when one kills another person regardless of the circumstances, the immoral nature of the action is normally portrayed in diverse forms such as covering up, self-justification, and self-guilt among other behaviors that inform the unethical nature of the action.

In this case, it can be argued that a person can be certain that what he or she is doing is morally correct or not. In other circumstances especially in judicial circles, a morally incorrect action can be justified. For instance, in the case of murder in self-defense, a perpetrator of such an action can be acquitted if there is sufficient evidence. A person killing another person in self-defense knows with 100% that the action is not morally correct, and in most cases, the action is spontaneous but not a premeditated motive.

However, there are circumstances where a person is not sure whether what he or she is doing is morally correct. This usually occurs in situations where the need for immediate satisfaction exceeds the moral correctness of the action. In such situations, the conscience of the person does not take into consideration the moral aspect of the situation. Therefore, it can be argued that the conscience of a person directs a person to do what is right in any given situation. The resulting action can be morally correct or not, but according to the conscience of the doer, it was the right thing to do.