With a new century, there has emerged a new age in moral considerations. The Arab Spring, Facebook, and the Occupy Movement all point to an awareness of, and concern for, the moral character of the individual and the collective. The phrase, “it’s the right thing to do”, echoing throughout news media and one’s daily exchanges, typically indicates a moral positioning. Presented in this book is the argument that now is the time to call it what it is, a matter of conscience, and to embrace the transformative power of a new vocabulary for moral and character education. In a more expansive approach than typically seen, this book examines the nature and function of conscience. Building upon the foundational work of Thomas Green (1999), the vocabulary of reflexive judgment, reflexive emotions, normation, and voices of conscience, are explored as they apply to moral formation, with examples and applications provided. Specific attention is given to the interrelationship of the collective conscience with democracy. Educating for conscience and the notion of the sacred are also examined. Written from an educator’s perspective, this book offers a framework for moral education to both the secular and religious domains.

Authentic accounts of saints and mystics of the Church who have spoken of a day when we will all see our souls in the light of truth, and fascinating stories of those who have already experienced it for themselves."With His divine love, He will open the doors of hearts and illuminate all consciences. Every person will see himself in the burning fire of divine truth. It will be like a judgment in miniature."- Our Lady to Fr. Stefano Gobbi of the Marian Movement of Priests

The notion of conscience remains one of the most widely used moral concepts and a cornerstone of ordinary moral thinking. This book explores where this widespread confidence in conscience stems from, examining the history of conscience as a moral concept and its characteristic moral phenomenology. Jason Howard provides a comprehensive reassessment of the function of conscience in moral life, detailing along the way the manifold problems that arise when we believe our conscience is more reliable than is actually warranted. The result is a step-by-step evaluation of our most accepted assumptions. Howard goes on to argue, from a phenomenological perspective, that conscience is indispensable for understanding moral experience. He capitalizes on a dialectical perspective developed by Hegel and Ricoeur, in which conscience is seen as the recognition of the other, and integrates this with work in the philosophy of emotion, arguing that conscience is best seen in terms of the function it serves in moderating the moral emotions of shame, guilt and pride.

Hailed upon its publication as “history at its finest” by H. Larry Ingle and called “the essential foundation to explore early Quaker history” by Sixteenth Century Journal, Rosemary Moore’s The Light in Their Consciences is the most comprehensive, readable history of the first decades of the life and thought of The Society of Friends. This twentieth anniversary edition of Moore’s pathbreaking work reintroduces the book to a new generation of readers. Drawing on an innovative computer-based analysis of primary sources and Quaker and anti-Quaker literature, Moore provides compelling portraits of George Fox, James Nayler, Margaret Fell, and other leading figures; relates how the early Friends lived and worshipped; and traces the path this radical group followed as it began its development into a denomination. In doing so, she makes clear the origins and evolution of Quaker faith, details how they overcame differences in doctrinal interpretation and religious practice, and delves deeply into clashes between and among leaders and lay practitioners. Thoroughly researched, felicitously written, and featuring a new introduction, updated sources, and an enlightening outline of Moore’s research methodology, this edition of The Light in Their Consciences belongs in the collection of everyone interested in or studying Quaker history and the era in which the movement originated.

Reproduction of the original: Writings In Connection with the Donatist Controversy by Aurelius Augustine