The-Conquest-of-Happiness-by-Bertrand-Russell

so likewise. Conscience has ceased to be
something mysterious which, because it was
mysterious, could be regarded as the voice of God.
We know that conscience enjoins different acts in
different parts of the world, and that broadly
speaking it is everywhere in agreement with tribal
custom. What, then, is really happening when a
man’s conscience pricks him?
The word ‘conscience’ covers. as a matter of fact,
several different feelings; the simplest of these is
the fear of being found out. You, reader, have, I am
sure, lived a completely blameless life, but if you
will ask someone who has at some time acted in a
manner for which he would be punished if it
became known, you will find that, when discovery
seemed imminent, the person in question repented
of his crime. I do not say that this would apply to
the professional thief who expects a certain amount
of prison as a trade risk, but it applies to what may
be called the respectable offender, such as the
Bank Manager who has embezzled in a moment of
stress, or the clergyman who has been tempted by