Normatywność sumienia w teorii etycznej i praktyce społecznej
Normativity of conscience in ethical theory and in social practice

Summary/Abstract: The author endeavors to look at the normativity of conscience through references to ethical and, next, to sociological conventions. The part on ethical convention briefly describes historical evolution of thinking on conscience, and the normativity is discussed from the perspective of conscience as a source of own moral judgments and personal decisions. Finally, we show the links between the normativity of conscience and the truth and human freedom. The part on sociological convention deals with the image of the normativity of conscience in the light of empirical studies. It starts with the description of modern secularization and the ensuing autonomization of morality, and then asks whether the autonomization of morality may promote conscience—conscience which has been gradually losing the support from external, institutional sources of authority. Finally, through the analysis of research results, the paper shows the extent to which conscience has been a source of personal norms for Poles in their moral decisions.

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