Abstract:

Conscience Mechanism in the Perspective of Evaluation Theory(School of Social Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China)Abstract： Conscience, as a core concept in Kant's philosophical system, should occupy a prominent position in Kant's philosophy. This is because: first, conscience is "a judgment formed by one for self"; secondly, conscience is based on good will; thirdly, conscience produces respect sentiments for moral principles by way of compulsory consciousness. Hegel discusses conscience from these three aspects: conscience is "a universal self-reflection"; conscience is "an absolute selfconfidence within behavioral agents"; conscience is the "only thing restricting oneself". While human beings act as social animals, conscience is a psychological mechanism formed by the operation of social norms on human beings. Individual conscience is a kind of internalization, both of social basic norms and of social basic values. Therefore, conscience can be considered both as the social basic norms or social basic values of individual patterns, and as the individual patterns of social "conscience". The social norms in the pattern of conscience are not specific but basic, displaying social rationality and spiritual faith. Conscience has four levels: compassion, shame, humility and rightandwrong. And the last also contains two levels: the acceptance of facts and the pursuit of justice. Conscience works by way of emotion. Socalled "uneasiness of conscience" is actually "moral disturbance", because conscience takes peace as pleasure and uneasiness as affliction; In individual selfevaluation, conscience often works by way of uneasiness or condemnation, thus making the individual immersed in some sort of emotional pain. The uneasiness or condemnation of conscience within individuals actually embodies the uneasiness or condemnation of social subjects on individual behaviors. The evaluation activity carried by individuals with the standard of conscience is doublelined: both the selfevaluation of individuals and the evaluation of society on individuals, that is, the one of taking individuals' selfevaluation as a unique form. While the evaluation of society on individuals turns into individuals' selfevaluation, individuals take a unique form of selfevaluation to embody the evaluation of society on individuals. This is the theoretical evaluation mechanism of conscience uneasiness or condemnation. As for confession, it is a specific form of selfevaluation. And very often, it is by way of confession that conscience expresses uneasiness or condemnation. Many wellknown persons in history possess a deep sense of confession.

Key words: Key words： conscience; sense of right and wrong; condemnation; confession