Conscience is an essential human attribute. Nevertheless, in the
construction of formal models of the subject it is customarily left
outside the framework of theoretical analysis. The Algebra of
Conscience, whose first edition appeared in 1982, was the first
specialized work modeling the phenomenon of conscience. The method used
in this book made it possible to connect moral experience with
decision-making procedures on the level of mathematical models. The
application of such models allows us to propose the hypothesis of two
fundamentally different ethical systems determining the normative
patterns of human behavior in situations of conflict. Under the first
ethical system the subject's self-esteem is raised if the subject seeks
to resolve the conflict; in the second it is raised by seeking to
dramatize the conflict.
The new edition of The Algebra of Conscience is significantly
expanded. The second part of the book, devoted to moral choice, is
completely new. Based on the theory presented in the first part, it
constructs the model of a subject capable of making an intentional
choice. A special variable corresponds to the subject's intention. This
development allows us to include within the model freedom of will and
freedom of choice, and also to generalize classical 2×2 game theory to
the case where outcomes, in addition to having utility measures, are
either `positive' or `negative.'
In its concluding chapters the book constructs a dynamic model of the
intentional subject faced with a choice between two alternatives,
neither of which is morally acceptable for the subject. It is shown that
in this case the probabilities of choice of the alternatives may change
chaotically. From this it follows that one cannot predict which
alternative will be chosen or even the probabilities with which they
will be chosen.
Audience: The book is addressed to a broad readership having
elementary knowledge of mathematical logic and the theory of
probability. It can be used in college courses studying the modelling of
moral choice. The book's material can also be used in the design of
artificial intelligence systems.
