Conscience in Moral Life

This is a smart, timely, compelling book. Howard persuasively argues that the convoluted history of conscience is responsible for some of our thorniest moral puzzles: both theoretical puzzles (for instance about moral emotions) and extremely concrete puzzles about US constitutional law and universal health care. Both historically illuminating and genuinely relevant to contemporary ethical thought. -- Lydia Moland, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Colby College
This is an impressive study of conscience as both a thought-provoking and indispensable moral concept. It brings scholarly weight and philosophical intelligence to bear on conscience as a somewhat neglected theme in moral philosophy ... Very thoughtful, philosophically provocative, and warmly recommended. -- William Desmond, David Cook Chair in Philosophy, Villanova University; Thomas A.F. Kelly Visiting Chair in Philosophy, Maynooth University, Ireland; and professor of philosophy emeritus, Institute of Philosophy, KU Leuven, Belgium
This very well-written and timely book focuses on a concept that is central to our day-to-day moral thinking: ‘conscience’. Drawing on the work of thinkers such as Hegel, Ricoeur and Rawls, the author offers an original and carefully-reasoned account of the nature, history and functions of conscience ... The result is a work of deep scholarship, which forms the basis of a much-need applied philosophy and which has relevance across academic disciplines. -- Patrick Costello, former professor of Primary Education, Glyndwr University Wrexham, UK
In this masterful work, Jason J. Howard argues that conscience is necessary for comprehending moral experience ... [his] text will become the point of departure for all future work on conscience. -- J.M. Fritzman, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Lewis and Clark College