Denial Of Conscience

A large number of Christian apologists try to "prove" the existence of objective morality by appealing to their subjective moral feelings, with this lunacy being only one of many examples of how the pursuit of moral knowledge is often tainted and hindered by conscience.  Fear, stupidity, and ignorance are all factors that might drive someone into the delusion that moral intuitions or emotions can provide any illumination about ethical truths.  Nevertheless, denial that conscience has any authority is the start of legitimate moral epistemology; though painful for some, this is a vital and necessary step.

A high regard for conscience is far from being equivalent to a concern for morality.  If a person genuinely cares about morality, and not about arbitrary perceptions of morality, he or she will not revere conscience.  In fact, conscience can be completely ignored by a serious moralist because it has nothing to do with morality in either an epistemological or metaphysical sense.  The existence of conscience does not necessitate the existence of morality, and a subjective feeling is incapable of establishing anything but its own existence (as well as the existence of a perceiver).

Rational people do not settle for mere appearances when it comes to their worldviews, but instead seek to understand things as they are.  Where morality is concerned, this means ignoring, suppressing, or violating conscience as needed.  If this strikes anyone as extreme, it is only because the basic fact that a thriving conscience is still purely subjective is almost universally overlooked.  There is no connection between conscience and moral knowledge, so the person who relies on conscience is not only irrational, but also morally dangerous: they would do anything as long as their conscience compels them.

Thorough moralists will not consult their consciences to expose ethical truths.  Instead of looking to a meaningless, subjective tool for moral guidance, a sound moralist seeks to understand morality itself, which does not depend upon human preferences or awareness.  Denying the validity and usefulness of conscience is the result of a sincere quest for moral knowledge.  It is not necessarily an indicator of moral apathy or decay.  Contrarily, it can be the most significant sign of moral growth.