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Rough draft -- Definition Paper 01.30.11

One thing virtually everyone in our society has is a conscience. That little voice in the back of our head telling us what is "right" and what is "wrong." The pressure in our chest or the guilty churning in our gut justifying the paradox that satisfying selfish desires and doing what is right for us is not always what is right, and in the long run, will sometimes make us feel even worse. The human conscience is unique. The human conscience is determined by one's enviornment. The human conscience was instrumental in the forming of the world as we know it. When we began to move past the hunter-gathering and into primitive civilizations, we started to become what we are today. Drawing pictures on cave walls to warn each other of danger. Sharing the last bit of food rather than scarfing it down defensively. United we stood and grew. Religion and the conscience go hand and hand. Another paradox, seeing as religion has been one of the main causes of war, murder, and hate throughout history, but one cannot deny the link between the two. Morals are the foundation of any religion. While they may differ from one to the next, there is a basic pattern between them. Fear. Humans fear the unknown, death being the greatest. At some point in our cognoscente evolution, we realized that someday, we are going to die. Every single one of us. Not knowing what would come after death, we filled in the blanks. Do you have a crappy life? Well, if you are a good little peasant and follow these selfless rules without questioning, in the next life, you will be a king. Tons of rulers throughout history successfully banked on this anti-mutiny idea. Not only would their minions be rewarded for following their every command, if they didn't, they would spend eternity swimimng laps in a pool of fire. This fear, or yearning for luxury, however has nothing to do with the conscience. A conscience is not fueled by fear, or by greed. Refraining from murder sheerly because of fearing the consequences and being locked up is not noble, just as helping someone out in the hopes they will reimberse you is not. One rather depressing theory is that there is no such thing as a selfless act. Helping an old woman hobble across the street gives one the warm fuzzy feeling inside. Killing a puppy would make one feel extremely guilty. These situations may seem to follow the previously stated formula and not constitute as actions driven by the conscience, however they are. Whether feeling guilty or feeling good, neither are physical. Refraining from an action because of future guilt, or even completing an action because of a future sense of goodness are the epitome of the concept of a conscience. Having a conscience is uniquely human. Other members of the animal kingdom, for the most part, merely care about themselves. This characteristic is neccesary for their survival. Even the maternal instinct many other species demonstrate is neccessary and if it wasn't an instinct biologically embedded into their genes, who knows. While I offer my best friend the last oreo that I really do want, I say, "No you can have it." She answers me with a passive, "No really, it's all yours." As my dogs snarl and snap at one another by my feat for the last bread crumb, I finish the debate with a swift, "I'm full anyways." Though having a conscience can sometimes be a pain, It's what makes us human and was a building block for our society and may in fact be the reason we are the dominant species on earth. Guilt is all we really have. You won't burn in hell, but be nice anyways.