People already have consciences. Most people have an innate sense of fairness, reciprocity and compassion.
i suppose the premise would imply that it's not good enough, or as not as good as it could be. i would agree with that premise.
I don't understand how the idea of a 'collective conscience' would eliminate all suffering and deliver eternal life. That seems to be a leap.
i agree with you; that is quite a leap, derived from the bible in regards to restored communion with god, which is contingent upon the elimination of sin. if you don't want to equate it with god, you could say that everyone was at one with the universe, and therefore each other. even if you say that, the eternal life part is a stretch, but i'm basing the hypothetical on communion, so eternal life is in there.
I don't understand that either. 'Submit' to what?
to adopting this new conscience. it would change you, and perhaps there would be a change in you required in order to adopt it.
Are you talking about segregating people who make the resolution to always be good and nothing else, from all the remaining evil people?
yes, but if you didn't want to say "evil", you could say "the people who would not make the resolution."
Do people always know what's right and wrong in every instance?
yes, because of the trusted source. it would actually become a part of you, like your conscience. or perhaps even a physical change...a genetic change. and even if it is just a change in our mind, that would over time create a genetic change that's passed on, and cumulative.
What if people are weak and on occasion fail to keep their resolution?
that's not an option.
And even assuming that everyone in your paradisical community only does what he or she believes is right, how can we be certain that their actions will always be harmonious and that no unintended suffering will result?
because we will all know the same thing, and it will be correct. beliefs as we know them now, based on a very limited perception, based on opinions, emotions, personal agendas, etc., will not be relevant. the only belief that is presented in the scenario is the belief in, or trust in, the source.
The question is impossible for me to answer as it stands. The proposed paradisical state needs to be fleshed out in a believable fashion and the tradeoffs that seem to be implicit in the idea of 'submission' need to be clarified.
"fleshed out" is a really good term to use here. they say that sin resides in the flesh inherently and that we're born into it. and it's only when that is removed that communion can be achieved. the bible always talks about how the flesh opposes the spirit and vice versa. and if you don't want to think of it in terms of the spiritual, you could just say that perhaps relatively, genetically, we're retarded.