< February: Mom & Dad Just Don’t Get It
march: good feelings are not enough
Main Points of Class
To make good decisions, one needs a well-formed conscience: the harmony and cooperation of the heart, will, and intellect.
Errors of a malformed conscience:
Sentimentalism: when the heart smothers the intellect. E.g. judgments based on feeling, not reason.
Rationalism: when the intellect smothers the heart. E.g. judgments based on the letter of the law, disregarding the spirit of the law.
Sensualism: when the heart smothers the will. Doing when you feel like, even when you know it is wrong.
Voluntarism: when the will smothers the heart. Wanting and doing things not because you want to, but to fulfill a rule, merely out of a sense of duty.
Brutism: when the will smothers the intellect. E.g. the “dare culture.”
Intellectualism: when the intellect smothers the will. E.g. Indecision or lack of commitment.
To form your conscience, present your heart with beautiful things, your will with good things, and your intellect with the truth.
The progression of formation begins in the intellect by knowing the truth, then in the will with choosing the good, then in the heart with loving the beautiful.
Your emotions will learn what to love the more you know the truth and will the good.
