transcendence, love and conscience

Man passes the noological dimension whenever he is reflecting upon himself — or, if need be, rejecting himself; whenever he is making himself an object — or making objections to himself; whenever he displays his being conscious of himself—or whenever he exhibits his being conscientious. In fact, being conscientious presupposes the uniquely human capacity to rise above oneself, to judge and evaluate one’s own deeds in moral and ethical terms.

Love and conscience are the two most striking manifestations of another uniquely human capacity of self-transcendence. Man transcends himself either toward another human being or toward meaning. Love is that capacity which enables him to grasp the other human being in his very uniqueness. Conscience is that capacity which empowers him to seize the meaning of a situation in its very uniqueness, and in the final analysis meaning is something unique. So is each and every person. Ultimately every person is irreplaceable, and if for no other person he is so for him by whom he is loved.

introspection is not an inner perception

human capacity for self-detachment

Now, reductionism is liable to interpret love as a mere sublimation of sex, and conscience merely in terms of the superego. It is my contention that actually love could not be just the result of the sublimation of sex because, whenever sublimation takes place, love has been the precondition all along. I would say that only to the extent to which an I is lovingly directed toward a Thou—only to this extent is the ego also capable of integrating the id, of integrating the sexuality into the personality.

intellectual orthodoxy of science

linked mentions for "transcendence, love and conscience":

1. human capacity for self-detachment
   To detach oneself from even the worst conditions is a uniquely human capability. However, this unique capacity of man to detach himself from any