Conscience

On two separate recent occasions, I heard some senior officials made a curious comment, "It really depends on your conscience."

(Many of our colleague would recognize one incident being our recent briefing session on the new computer system, and the other was the events related to our pharmaceutical industry.)

As Philo Vance said (in the Benson Murder Case), "I could understand why the general public have such a feeling. But, when senior and professional people feel the same, it is really horrible."

Let's say, what would happen if we take off every legal requirement from the society ?

You could imagine that much: the majority of us would still be good humble citizens (at least initially). The problem is that a minority would stir up the water and do whatever they want. More so, seeing the consequence (or lack of consequence) of those malicious neighbours, the good humble ones would follow suite.

That's what we called the Broken Window Theory in sociology.

PS. Ironically, those senior officials who asked for the conscience of the others would not say to their boss, "I shall not fix up my salary; it really depends on your conscience."

A truly conscientious (oh, or merely conscious) employer would give them a bill.