Claim. The conscience cannot generate its motivating force by itself — it operates only because it engages in give-and-take action with God as its ultimate subject partner. Without this connection, the providence of restoration after the Fall would be impossible.
Elaboration. Per 2.2. Give and Take Action: “However evil a person may be, the force of his conscience, which impels him toward a virtuous life, is always active within his inner self. This is true for all people of all ages and places. No one can quell the force of conscience, which is powerfully at work even without one’s conscious awareness.”
The argument is structural: “If the function of the conscience were absent in fallen people, God’s providence of restoration would be impossible. How is this force of conscience generated? Since all forces are produced by give and take action, the conscience cannot generate the force needed for its operation all by itself. That is to say, the conscience can operate only when it forms a common base with some subject partner and engages in give and take action with it. The ultimate subject partner of our conscience is God” (ibid).
This is DP’s solution to a problem facing any theology of total depravity: if the Fall completely severed humanity from God, no one could ever respond to grace. DP’s answer is that the fall severed the primary relationship (oneness with God through love) but conscience remains as a residual give-and-take channel — a vestigial connection that makes restoration possible. Universal moral intuition is empirical evidence for this preserved channel.
See also. dp-universal-prime-energy-and-give-and-take-action