Newman’s Moral Argument from Conscience for the Existence of God

Bishop John Henry Newman is one of the most prominent theologians and philosophers of the nineteenth century. His groundbreaking moral argument for the existence of God through conscience is remarkably original. Although so much research has been done about his argument, this paper provides a thorough dissection of his argument. To do so, we bring up his relevant epistemological grounds; i.e. assent, apprehension, and inference, and their relation to each other and their application to the argument. Newman attempts to prove the existence of God through certain shared feelings of human beings, which are produced by our conscience. By investigating the nature of these feelings, including fear, shame, and guilt, he concludes that they require only one Divine Being, before which conscience invokes these feelings. This paper offers a novel formulation of his argument in seven steps to make it more persuasive. In the end, we mention two main opponents of Newman’s argument and respond to their objections through Newman’s own replies.

Newman’s Moral Argument from Conscience for the Existence of God Keywords:

Conscience , Assent , Apprehension , moral argument