Hobbes’s definition that private conscience as distinct from Public conscience omits conveniently the fact that Public Conscience (?) has been formed after collective private consciences.This dichotomy is due to mixing up of ethics, which is normative against running day to day life ,which is pragmatical.Freedom of choice is individualistic and not collective.Conflict arises only when there is a different perception of the same issue eithet by many or by the same individual at different times.Put it simply, what one’s conscience says as Right at one point of Time, the same conscience will say Wrong at another time.
Then what is Right and what is Wrong at the individual level?
There are as many systems of thoughts as there are philosophers-Idealism,Empiricism,Pragmatism , Logical positivism.
Interesting to note the concept of ‘Dharma’ in Hindu Philosophy.Dharma is performing what one ought to in consonance with one’s Nature, which consists of his dispositions.This has to be tempered with social responsibilities, as we call Public judgements today.In case of Conflict,Public responsibility must take precedence. Compare this to Kant’s Categorical Imperative, which states an action is to be performed, because it ought be..
As for as political context goes, this option will help those who want to cross vote , as happened in India , when President V.V.Giri, won a conscience vote(cross voting),defeating official candidate of the Party in Presidential election.
Politics and Ethics do not mix.
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