Conscience as an Inner Compass: Ethical Foundations for Responsible Action.

This article proposes a conceptualization of conscience as an inner compass—adynamic space where values, duties, and aspirations are inscribed. Through acomparative analysis of religious and philosophical ethical systems including the TenCommandments, Kantian ethics, Stoicism, and Utilitarianism it argues that conscienceconstitutes the operative core of moral action. Its role as a mediator between externalnorms and internal coherence is examined, and its relevance for building ethical legacyin contexts of planetary vulnerability is emphasized.