Sunday, June 10, 2012

Conscientiousness and Sublimity

One main distinction conventionally drawn between Conscience and Conscientiousness is that in the former, but not in the latter, content is decisive.  That is, Conscience is a call to perform a specific action, whereas, Conscientiousness is a call to thoroughness, independent of which action is called for.  Thus, the latter more clearly exemplifies 'duty for duty's sake' than does the former, a mundane exemplification that seems to defy Kant's exaltation of Duty as "sublime".  However, any such defiance is constrained by his, and the common, definition of 'sublime' as "absolutely large", which neglects Kant's own attribution of infinitude to smallness, as well.  Accordingly, it is 'attention to detail' that constitutes the Piety that is specific to Conscientiousness, and, so, a detail can be the decisive content in a 'conscientious' performance.

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