Final answer:
The concept of knowing universal laws of morality through reason is described as conscience, which is grounded in ethical thinking and is independent of religious beliefs or regional norms.
Step-by-step explanation:
The belief that a person can know with absolute certainty by the light of practical reason the laws of morality, which are universal and absolutely binding on all people at all times and places, is closely associated with ethics. Through the use of reason, as emphasized in Enlightenment philosophy, philosophers like Immanuel Kant argued that these moral laws or maxims could be discovered a priori. Kant proposed that ratio could universally apply the categorical imperative to establish moral laws that are universally valid, independent of religion or cultural context.
Thus, to answer the student's question, the concept that embodies the ability to identify universal laws of morality through practical reason is best characterized as conscience (option 4).
Care ethics, consequentalism, and Confucianism represent alternative ethical theories, which also rely on reason to different extents to discern the principles of good conduct and morality. The idea of conceiving moral absolutism without necessarily appealing to religion counters the theory of Normative Ethical Relativism, suggesting that reason alone can lead to universally applicable ethical principles.