Before terms like conscience, morality, ethics are used they really need a rigid definition, as they can mean different things to different people, and change over time. It is also necessary to define what a human is and clearly distinguish between human attributes and evolutionary traits in the animal kingdom that may cause confusion.I think we can be certain that the three wise monkeys at no point sat down and discussed aesthetics, logic, metaphysics, epistemology, and axiology. If not capable of discussing a concept and understanding it, how can actions be controlled by it.
Does a hornet rationalise it's actions before stinging, or is it an innate response to a threat?