Page 2 - Conscience

Conscience appears to be a relative thing, which makes this question especially tricky. As pointed out, it has a lot to do with upbringing, and the effect it has on one's actions stem from that.

"Conscience is just the fear of getting caught"
Sheriff Lucas Buck (with a B)

I disagree!
Conscience is your ethics telling you "stop it!" lol Ethics are based on emotion (how would you feel if someone did that to you) and Emotions are base instinctual reactions to the stimuli in the external world. All animals have some emotion, but not all animals develop ethics, and even fewer still apply them to their life (conscience)

As can greed, or basically any other emotion....

What about needs...when a person needs some food in order to survive or a drug to feed a habit...they may inact a wrong doing on another person...their need becomes greater than any conscious thought...and so to darwanism...only the strongest survive...those whose needs are greater.

How is this related to our spiritual nature?

i know one thing for sure!
Conscience doesnt allow u to enjoy ur sins

But only because your scared of getting caught

thats the worst part of it
but its not only about getting caught........ it about being ashamed to see urself in the mirror. U can run away from everybody, but not from urself...... thats the power of conscience.

Oh, you mean this spiritual nature...

Regarding The original question of how does conscience fit into Darwinism....

Just an opinion, so read this with that understanding.

Conscience allows us interact with each other in a harmonious manner. If we do not have some peaceful relationships, there is no ability to procreate. We need to have meaningful interaction as human beings in order to survive. This interaction allows us to band together when attacked, help each other when in need and form relationships with one another. It also keeps most of us from killing each other; which is, I believe, the reason for its' existence.

Some of us have lesser degrees of conscience than others, which is why the degradation of the family (at least the teaching of good values) has such a profound impact on society in the long term. We need a good example at home, and the more that disappears, the fewer of us have the proper "moral compass". The lack of conscience exacerbates the self-centeredness, which is part of the human condition. Conscience is what tempers this... and conscience is exactly what our society is losing. If more of us took ownership of ourselves and taught our children good values, then we would not be in the situation we are in now.

Also, just a thought as to the problems of the world (environmental and otherwise). Self-centeredness is clearly a large part, but so is ignorance. Most of us are unaware of how our actions affect other things... with a world as large as ours all connected as in a web, how can we possibly realize that effect? Even the most well-meaning individual does things that counter their own understanding of environmental impact (people that get upset over oil still drive cars etc.) These small things that we miss everyday add up to a much larger problem. It's not that we *want* to destroy ourselves or our world... it's more complicated than that. We just don't know how to do things the right way. It all adds up from a series of small decisions that we make to survive. We drive a car because we have to work. We work because we need money to survive. We work at corporations that care about their own survival because they need money to survive as well. Add that all up and you get one large problem. Solving it may not be impossible, but is difficult to be sure.

Just my two cents, and if you read this far I'll give you a cookie (no fair skimming).