ETHICS
1. ETHICS, DETERMINANTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF ETHICS IN HUMAN ACTION
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a. ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and
lead their lives. ethics provides us with a moral map, a framework that we can
use to find our way through difficult issues. It refers to what ought to be done to
achieve what is good and what ought not to be done to avoid what is evil. Ethics
deals with voluntary actions
b. Our concepts of ethics have been derived from
• God and religion
• Human conscience and intuition
• a rational moral cost-benefit analysis of actions and their effects
• the example of good human beings
• a desire for the best for people in each unique situation
• political power
c. Philosophers nowadays tend to divide ethical theories into three areas:
metaethics, normative ethics and applied ethics.
• Meta-ethics deals with the nature of moral judgement. It looks at the origins and
meaning of ethical principles. Metaethics focuses on the analysis of
the meanings of the central terms used in ethical reasoning
and decision-making. It studies where our ethical principles
come from and what they mean.
• Normative ethics is concerned with the content of moral judgements and the criteria
for what is right or wrong.
• Applied ethics looks at controversial topics like war, animal rights and capital
punishment
d. Some philosophers say that all ethics can do is eliminate confusion and clarify the
issues. After that it's up to each individual to come to their own conclusions.
e. Virtue Ethics is particularly concerned with the moral character of human beings.
f. At times in the past some people thought that ethical problems could be solved
in one of two ways:
• by discovering what God wanted people to do
• by thinking rigorously about moral principles and problems
If a person did this properly they would be led to the right conclusion.
But now even philosophers are less sure that it's possible to devise a satisfactory and
complete theory of ethics - at least not one that leads to conclusions.
Modern thinkers often teach that ethics leads people not to conclusions but to 'decisions'.
In this view, the role of ethics is limited to clarifying 'what's at stake' in particular ethical
problems.
g. ethical realism means the view that moral qualities such as wrongness, and
likewise moral facts such as the fact that an act was wrong, exist in rerum natura,
so that, if one says that a certain act was wrong, one is saying that there existed,
somehow, somewhere, this quality of wrongness, and that it had to exist there if
that act were to be wrong.
h. Moral realism
Moral realism is based on the idea that there are real objective moral facts or truths in
the universe. Moral statements provide factual information about those truths.
i. Subjectivism
Subjectivism teaches that moral judgments are nothing more than statements of a person's
feelings or attitudes, and that ethical statements do not contain factual truths about
goodness or badness.
In more detail: subjectivists say that moral statements are statements about the feelings,
attitudes and emotions that that particular person or group has about a particular issue.
j. Emotivism is the view that moral claims are no more than expressions of
approval or disapproval.
This sounds like subjectivism, but in emotivism a moral statement
doesn't provide information about the speaker's feelings about the topic
but expresses those feelings.
k. Prescriptivists think that ethical statements are instructions or
recommendations.
So if I say something is good, I'm recommending you to do it, and if I say
something is bad, I'm telling you not to do it.
l. Consequentialism
This is the ethical theory that most non-religious people think they use every day. It bases
morality on the consequences of human actions and not on the actions themselves.
Consequentialism teaches that people should do whatever produces the greatest amount
of good consequences.
One famous way of putting this is 'the greatest good for the greatest number of people'.
m. deontological ethics
Non-consequentialism is concerned with the actions themselves and not with the
consequences. It's the theory that people are using when they refer to "the principle of the
thing".
It teaches that some acts are right or wrong in themselves, whatever the consequences, and
people should act accordingly.
n. Virtue ethics
virtue ethics teaches that an action is right if and only if it is an action that a
virtuous person would do in the same circumstances, and that a virtuous person
is someone who has a particularly good character.
o. Moral absolutism
Some people think there are such universal rules that apply to everyone. This sort of
thinking is called moral absolutism.
• Moral absolutism argues that there are some moral rules that are always true, that
these rules can be discovered and that these rules apply to everyone. Religious
views of ethics tend to be absolutist. But people disagree with moral absolutism as
Absolutism doesn't fit with respect for diversity and tradition
p. Moral relativism
Moral relativists say that if you look at different cultures or different periods in
history you'll find that they have different moral rules. They believe that
relativism respects the diversity of human societies and responds to the different
circumstances surrounding human acts.
q. In the Western Philosophy, the history of ethics can be traced back to the fifth
century B.C with the appearance of Socrates. As a philosopher among the Greeks
his mission was to awaken his fellow humans to the need for rational
criticism of their beliefs and practices.
ETHICS FROM SLEEPY CLASSES VIDEOS
1. Ethics put reasonable restrictions and ways to avoid social evil. Example- In India
corruption is not considered that unethical and hence it is still continuing
2. Ethics keep on changing as per Experiences, debates, reasoning, within a person
with time, social situations. Example- a. LGBTQ rights were once considered
unnatural, however with sharing of experiences of people and further deliberations
and debates on this topic, we have now abolished article 377, b. Abortion is
considered wrong in catholic countries, however Ireland which is a catholic country
has legalised abortion. Beef is not eaten in most of India, while the same person may
eat that in western country or food habits of people.
3. Social acceptance can be jeopardized if ethics is not followed as per social situations.
Example-Beef ban, same gotra marriage fury in society
4. Why do we need ethics? A. To be upright i.e satisfying human needs b. To create
credibility, by bringing consistency c. Uniting people as ethics takes people towards a
common goal d. securing society (environmental ethics, gender ethics)
5. Consequences of loss of ethics---
a. Political level—Criminalisation of politics, power concentration, hung
assemblies, self aggrandising, rise of coalitions for own benefit rather than of
ideology, communalistic politics, Dynastic politics
b. Bureaucratic level—corruption thru misuse of office even for getting one’s
own work done(retail corruption), Nepotism, loss of trust in administration,
rise in inequalities, decrease in 3E—Economy, Efficiency and effectiveness,
dissatisfying work culture, demotivated honest officers(cat on the wall
syndrome mentioned by 2nd ARC)
c. International level---Violating ceasefire(pak), global organised crime(drug
trafficking), tax heavens, issue of displaced migrants (degradation of ethics on
international level), loss of legitimacy of International
institutions(WHO,UNSC)
d. Social level---Acceptance of Corruption in india, increased commodification of
women leading to gender specific crime, rise of violence, rise of materialism
(2008 financial crisis), Increased faith in ends not means (IPS officer caught
cheating in UPSC exam), decreasing respect of elders
e. Individual level---Increased drive to acquire material wealth, increased
violence, individual>collective, loss of integrity, loss of empathy (Bystanders’
apathy—accident k time people don’t help), psychological diseases i.e stress
f. Environmental level---degradation, Human needs>nature’s needs, rising
inequality (Covid times—poor suffering more, as per Oxfam net worth of
billionaires increased by 30%), cruelty against animals, disasters (cyclone
affects poor more), declaring animals vermin for killing by gov
g. Bioethical level---Abortion, Confining mental/disabled ppl, cloning, surrogacy,
designer babies, medical records(Aids wale patients ka data), animal culling,
euthanasia, GMO, Suicide
6. Values- Basic beliefs than an individual holds to be true, it varies from person to
person, they develop right from childhood, Gandhi quote—education without values
is no education at all.
7. To create value system from childhood??—thru bedtime stories, school books,
habits of parents, family system (thru grandparents—nuclear family—
disintegration), unconscious observation by children while dining. Daily household
activities, role of mass media—video games violent type, news, in dual career family
(both parents working), role of guardians…. Attitude of teachers have a lot of impact
on students, low focus on scientific temperament, role of teachers as agents of
change
8. Why focus on values? ----Values are hierarchically arranged and it leads to
dissatisfaction when these values are not followed, values contain judgemental
elements (role of prejudices and stereotypes), Values give life goals, values are
affected by culture (impacted by globalisation)
9. Family as source of values----
a. Democratic decision making---depends on family type, khali ek person ki
chalti ho—autocratic values
b. Gender sensitivity—female ko kaise treat kara jar aha h
c. Reaction to everyday events—Example—safety belt use in car, kids will also
wear, scientific outlook or superstitious
d. Discriminatory practices—behaviour towards domestic help
e. Reward or punishment as method/ means vs ends
10. Education as source of values----
a. Types---Formal—school, informal---peer/media/family
b. Inculcate discipline
c. Develop communitarian view by introducing diversity in views and accepting
them
d. Problem solving ability
e. Teaches critical thinking/rote learning attitude
11. Classification of Values
a. Terminal values---most imp for an individual i.e determine ultimate objective of
life. Ex-Non violence for Gandhiji whether become independent or not
b. Instrumental Values/---means to attain terminal values, ex-Materialism if
terminal value is to attain wealth
c. Intrinsic values—khudki value hai apne aap me hi. Ex-care, compassion
d. Preferential values- Doing one over other
12. Morals
a. Ethics may be external i.e log batate hai while morals are internal..Ethics eventually
become morals for ppl.
b. They are based on faith and belief system of a person
c. Ethics talk about action while moral talk about Intentions+ actions
d. Moral development does not depend on reasoning while ethics do, MORALS
BORROW FORM FAITH AND CULTURE
e. Violation of morals leads to guilt, violation of ethics may lead to punishment from
society
f. Moral dev result in Ethical dev
13. Kohlberg’s model of Moral development
a. Three levels
Stage 3 example-beef ban
Stage 4- You stop at Traffic lights
Stage 6- You stop because you feel main hi rukunga to koi nhi rukunga
14. Moral Character
Anscombe’s seminal article gave Modern Moral philosophy
Kant—means should be proper---deontological
Utilitarian---ends should be kept in mind---teleological
Anscombe argued that one must start with “what it is for a human being to flourish
or live well”---same view as that of Greek moralists
15. Plato’s 3 questions:
a. Is the person who always retains its ground in every situation, even when
outnumbered-- is of moral character
b. Is the person who does everything quietly ------ is of moral character
c. If one always gives back what has been borrowed--- is of moral character
Socrates replies---everything depends on situation
Agar outnumbered ho fir bhi ladne ja rahe ho, jab jeetne ka koi chance nhi-- to
foolishness hogi, hence Socrates feel that the decision should be REASONABLE as
per the situation.
Aristotle replies that it is not easy to define whether the decision is proper or
not, for that we need decision of a virtuous person. He gave theory of VIRTUE
AS A MEAN STATE
“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who didn’t speak up when
required”—Aristotle---use this in Tolerance related questions
As per Aristotle, a person should be willing to stand up for himself and loved
ones even if it incorporates an element of anger—Anger will not be an indication
of morally deficient character. Same view has been advocated thru GITA as well
i.e Samay aane par hathiyar uthana galat baat nhi.
16. MORAL DEVELOPMENT MODEL OF RAWLS
“The social system shapes the wants and aspirations that its citizens come to have”,
Rawls note that individuals desire to act justly but they are unable to do it since the
system is unjust which leads to feelings of jealousy, hate.
In theory of justice, Rawls outlines three stages of moral development:
a. Morality of authority—Children watch their parents, if parents love them
unconditionally, children will start trusting them, including forming boundaries
and guilt
b. Morality of association---members of associations come to enjoy and value their
cooperative partners, every person play their role responsibly in a just system
c. Morality of principles---Individuals come to realise that those institutions which
are regulated by principles of justice promote their good by providing the
primary good of “self-worth” to citizens
17. Morality and human actions
Action is good when it is in harmony with purpose. Ex-Knife used for cutting
vegetables, not ppl(bad action)
18. How To determine morality of human action?
a. Check OBJECTIVE of action—Ex-Lying to save lifes
b. Check CIRCUMSTANCES—Ex- Many ppl lied for protecting jews by saying they are
catholics
c. Check END/PURPOSE of action----Was the End intended??Hijacked airplane—
Police kill terrorist and in between few citizens die, then the policeman’s action
will not be treated as immoral
19. WHY LOSS OF ETHICS??
a. Materialsim::When money is Terminal value instead of Instrumental value
b. Lack of accountability::Specially in India leading to lack of responsibility, there is a
system of Episodic accountability i.e once in 5 years during election.(Ex-Finland PM
questioned over high breakfast bill which is ultimately funded thru taxpayers money)
c. Lack of Value education in formative years
d. Ends gaining prominence over Means (ex-GDP rate irrespective of Environment
degradation)
e. Political leadership becoming unethical (Ex-Israel vs Palestine leadership—who
lost?? Citizens lost their life, not leaders
f. Lack of source of Ethics
g. Tolerance to unethical practices(Ex-Corruption which is sometimes encouraged by
family, domestic violence, dowry)
20. THINKERS:
A. MAHATMA GANDHI
a. Notions by him---major were NON VIOLENCE (Physical notion if good) and
TRUTHFULNESS (Spiritual notion if good). He believed that Spiritual freedom should
be before political freedom (People embroiled in Caste hatred can never achieve
political freedom)
b. SPIRITUALISM—As per him, no belief is permanent hence experimentation with your
belief structure is important….Self testing of morals will lead to betterment. Self
control is the hardest thing
c. Means vs Ends----Purity of Means is as imp as ends, Independence achieved thru
violence is not worthwhile
d. SARVODAYA(Good of all) will be achieved when People start feeling Good of others
over Good of oneself. Immanuel Kant’s Test of Universality states that whatever
action you are going to do, if you are in dilemma then just check whether if every
single person performs the same action as that of yours than it will be good for you
or not. It is based on Unity of existence, an idea of inclusiveness (Theory of Vasudev
kutumbakam is helpful in day to day life by helping people become moral—this
theory states whole world is your family and ppl do corruption for good of their
family and hence when ppl follow this theory, they will not do corruption as it will
harm someone or other in this world)
e. SATYAGRAHA---Holding firmly to truth…He believes Satyagrah is appeal to the heart
and if one wants to have long term victory, he/she needs to Overwhem the
opponent not overpower them, LEGITIMACY OF RULE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN
LEGALITY OF RULE. Cant be used for personal gains, only for others- leads to purity of
thoughts
f. DEMOCRACY---it is not a legal phenomenon, it’s a spiritual one..it involves respect
for each other and decentralization of power
g. SWARAJ-As per him we need freedom not only from foreign rulers but from Greed,
deceit, power concentration
h. SECULARISM—All religion have certain similar core values such as truth, non violence
which should be incorporated in politics to bring morality in politics. No religion is
perfect and should be reformed continuously.
i. ECONOMIC VIEW OF GANDHI—Opposed large scale industrialization, favoured
cottage industries, Industrialization led to imperialism, belive in self rule and concept
of economic equality
j. He belived in Survival of truth than survival of fittest
k. UNTOUCHABILITY—Popularized the word Harijan, he mainstreamed the concept of
this evil, he devoted his time to remove evil of untouchability after CDM 1930. He
was in favour of following the 4 fold version of varna system as it promotes
interdependence and this evil can be removed thru Interdining and intermarriage
l. 7 DEADLY SINS---WEALTH W/O WORK(lead to compromise in morals), Pleasure w/o
conscience(lead to irresponsibily), Knowldege w/o Character(scams), commerce w/o
morality(inequality), science w/o humanity( environment degradation, nuclear
wars), Religion w/o sacrifice(intolerance), politics w/o principle (concentration of
power)
m. Empowering Women
n. Happiness: when not alienated
• B R AMBEDKAR
a. As per him 4 varnas breed inequality, made labour party which had ppl from all
castes.
b. As per him caste system originated in land relations which is prevalent in villages of
India, Annhilation of caste and religion is needed to avoid discrimination
c. Political power is necessary to bring changes. Gandhi’s approach vs Ambedkar
approach---Love vs Law
d. Asked for reservation as lower castes people have not been treated equally since
ages hence they need extra support…(MN SRINIVAS has said Politics of reservation
has overpowered Sociology of reservation)—use this is reservation question
e. He was against Capitalism and Brahmanism as both are two faces of exploitation
f. WOMEN—Most oppressed of all, social revolutions must always begin from the
stand point of most oppressed. He organized Satyagraha in 1927 whr women
marched for allowing untouchables for drinking water from public wells
g. Religion should be based on principles of modern science
h. Bahujan hitaay, Bahujan sukhay
i. He was against making village as basic unit of government, instead we should give
rights to individuals
j. Social democracy ---can be achieved thru trinity of Liberty,fraternity and equality
h. He was in favour of UCC
i. After independence, 3 gandhian ideas Civil disobedience, Non-Cooperation &
Satyagraha not to be followed. They will lead to non-compliance of rules.
21. ATTITUDE: Expression of favour or disfavour towards anything. A predisposition to
act, feel or think in particular ways.
How it is formed??
[Link]: Through Self experience (AFSPA for Delhi resident and J&k resident,
feeling of empathy after near death life experience)
[Link]: Media, Godmen,teachers,parents (Negative attitude towards
LGBTQ—Leads to development of stereotypes)
[Link]: three styles of parenting a. Authoritarian leading to bureaucratic
personality b. Permissive: jo karna h karo, ye chaiye to aa gayi (six pocket
syndrome) leading to materialistic personality of children c. Authoritative:
Encouraged to be independent, responsible, EI,democratic attit ude
[Link]: Brotherhood—vivekanda
[Link] economic conditions: Negative interdependence—Zero sum game of
resources, competition for resources, for variable sum game-- collective work is
required
22. COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDE: COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, BEHAVIOUR (Visible
component of behaviour)
23. FUNCTIONS OF ATTITUDE:
a. Object appraisal---whether object is beneficial or harmful
b. Social adjustment
c. Ego defensive—defending self against inner conflict
d. Knowledge—to organize information
e. Utility—to maximise rewards, minimize punishment
f. Value expression—to assert our identity thru clothes/action etc
g. Show individual differences—Various objects can be used differently by various
ppl ex—watch can be utility for some and jwellery for other
24. RELATION B/W ATTITUDE AND BEHAVIOUR
a. NO RELATION--Lapierre study (given in lukman notes)
b. RELATED—Depend on circumstances
c. DEPENDING ON QUALITY OF SITUATION—Ex- Athiest person will also remove
shoes before visiting temple in case he has to visit by chance i.e Attitude and
behaviour are not same
d. DEPENDING ON TIME PRESSURE—Time constraint makes attitude and behaviour
same, ex- when there is fire, you will behave as per your attitude
25. ATTITUDE FORMATION:
a. Classical conditioning: baar baar same cheez karo, Pavlov’s study of bell and dog..
It heavily influences children.. Example—we can train bureaucrats
b. Direct instruction: of parents/elders/colleagues etc Example—LPG SUBSIDY
CHODO
c. Instrumental conditioning: Ye karoge to ye milega---Positive/negative
reinforcements(Example—Mukesh and tobacco advertisement), observational
learning---(Example—objectification of women in Ads/movies)
d. Leadership—Imitating behaviour of famous ppl(Example—can be used in
increasing tax compliance)
e. Social comparision theory—usne kiya to mai bhi karunga and vice versa
f. Functionalist theory—if something serves the purpose then you will keep doing
it, else attitudes change
g. Cognitive component—Rational component may change attitude , example—
Covid related info using scientific reasoning, Affective component----Amitabh
bacchan saying corona msg—impact more or by inducing insecurity example—
fair and lovely ads makes people with dark skin more insecure
26. PERSUASION:
a. Persuasion tactics: Similarity b/w communicator and receiver (Example--Ads are
made in this way----Surf excel ki add me house wife ki issues dikhate hai to
housewife relate kar paati hai, Role of ASHA workers more relatable with women
in villages, women are able to relate to these ASHA workers and hence they are
better persuasion agents, Nawashahar DC used prabhat pheris to improve sex
ratio(gurudwara k log gaana types gaate hai colony me, so he conveyed the ills of
female foeticide thru them and within few years the sex ratio improved)
b. Credibility and trustworthiness of communicator----Yudhishtir (he had high
credibility so when yudhisthtir nodded that ashwathamma died Dronachaarya
accepted and dropped his weapon )and Ashwathaama , Example—Abdul kalam
persuaded the people for Kudankulam plant and ppl agreed since kalam had high
credibility
c. Sincere people irrespective of their success are more respected
d. Nature of message: Visual media is preferred for persuasion, example—Syrian
boy’s body on beach had a huge impact on European countries and after that
they started accepting migrants
e. Bandwagon effect: bhedchaal
f. Social proof: By noticing what other ppl think is correct
g. Through famous ppl/leader
h. Through real or made up scarcity
i. PERSUASION CAN FAIL:::: When people know they are being persuaded, Fore
warning: pehle se idea lag jae ki persuade karne aa raha h koi, when weak
arguments are given
27. POLITICAL ATTITUDE (LEC 16)
Formed by media, debates thru social media, parental attitude, peer grp, self
observation, socio economic conditions(Rich and very poor are apathetic)
Why political attitudes are changing??
a. Mobility—Social(class mobility) and geographical
b. Media penetration
c. Literacy
d. Rapid rise of National issues
e. Rise of college politics
f. Large no of first time voters
28. MORAL ATTITUDE
It is concerned with moral issues/dilemnas. It is difficult to change as it is part of
Religion and culture
Moral attitude of dominant sections become norms and laws (Eg. Banning Cow
slaughter)
Difference in moral attitude can lead to conflicts—brews intolerance (Eg- mob
lynching) hence we need to respect diversity and there should be unity and not
uniformity.
EXAMPLES
A. LEGAL BUT UNETHICAL:Nikah halala, Monsanto company form
Terminating seeds(ek hi crop hogi ek seed se), Marital rape
B. Not illegal (i.e law is silent ) but unethical : Infidelity, People making
money from vaccines during corona, taking unworthy credit, media
spreading propaganda
C. Illegal but ethical: Civil disobedience movement,
D. Examples where you have shown exemplary behaviour
29. APTITUDE
Natural ability to do something, ability to benefit from training.
APTITUDE+TRAINING=COMPETENCE
It could be physical/mental
SKILLS VS ABILITIES----Things learnt in past vs Some basic knowledge but not
proficiency
Aptitude tests help in determining fluid intelligence(on the spot intelligence) and
hence role of commander/captain is very imp as they have to deal on the spot as per
situation.
INDOVATION=INDIA+ INNOVATION---JUGAAD types ex- Nano, air purifier
National innovation council under sam Pitroda advised a program called
TOD,FOD,JOD for students to increase curiosity and hands on learning. School
teacher’s role in identifying child’s aptitude at right time is very imp
30. EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
EMOTIONS—instinctive and intuitive feeling…As per GOLEMAN, if you want a job IQ
is needed but to sustain in that job EQ is needed
What shapes emotions???
a. PAST EXPERIENCES
b. COGNITIVE ABILITIES
c. SITUATIONS
EI- A person is EI if decisions are based on factors which also keep in mind the emotions
related to that. Example- If your family is also affected in disaster, you as DM need to act
professionally by not compromising the duty
How to be Emotionally intelligent???
a. Perceiving emotions(both khudke and saamne wale k)----It makes successful
negotiators, healthy work culture, develops loyalities
b. Understanding emotions
c. Managing emotions
d. Using emotions for thoughtful acts
EQUANIMITY---maintaing Calm and composure specially in difficult situations, not
showing overt emotion while not suppressing emotion as well, not to be influenced
by praise or criticism.
Manager takes rational decision while leader takes rational+emotional decision
Functions of EI (By Goleman)---given in lukmaan notes
SELF AWARENESS—avoids being manipulated
SELF MANAGEMENT
SELF MOTIVATION---capable in delaying self gratification
EMPATHY—Sympathy+taking action
HANDLING RELATIONSHIPS
How EI DEVELOPS
a. Parent’s role
Parental discourangement of emotions leads to hampers the making of EI child,
Eg- Boys don’t cry, girls don’t shout---Makes them insensitive to emotions and
Poor social competence, Negative emotions leads to self loathing, There should
be Unconditional positive regard towards children which leads to
Responsiveness, empathy, patience, perseverance
RELEVANCE OF EI IN BUREAUCRACY:
Why increasing stress and need of EI???
Due to fast changing society, rising inequalities, increased awareness among citizens,
due to PRIs , a new class of politicians have been created who are demanding more
from bureaucrats, social media hence there is a need for bureaucrat to be EI.
HOW??? O C E A N Model---Openness(to new idea), Conscientiousness (towards
needy), Extrovertness ( go getter), Agreeableness, Neuroticism (tendency toward
anxiety, depression, self-doubt, and other negative feelings—should not be there)
USE OF EI???
Criticism (take and give both in positive manner)
Communication
Conflict Management
FOR SUCCESS---EQ+IQ+SQ(spiritual quotient –spirits high ho kaam karne ki)
EI AND WORKPLACE??
By a. Use of humour
b. Resolving conflicts amicably
c. Engaging often
d. Regular appreciation
e. Seeing everything from holistic manner
EI WILL LEAD TO---Job satisfaction, Increased commitment, better work life balance,
increased performance
• USE IN CASE STUDY QUESTIONS
A. HOW TO JUSTIFY AN ACTION
a. Whether there was KNOWLEDGE?? If not then the act is beyond purview of
good/bad..
Example-
The accident on road is amounted as case of negligence as per IPC and not
murder, but you are still charged under it because you may nit have had
knowledge that the person will come in front of you but you had knowledge of
driving and hence due to your neglect of proper driving accident occurred.
Juvenile Justice act—No jail sentence for children for few acts as it is considered
that they had knowledge about the act.
b. IGNORANCE of Law/FACT---hence there is option of max and minimum
punishment
c. VOLUNTARINESS—If voluntariness is not included then Ethical conduct can not
be judged properly.
Example—NAR SINGH YADAV case in NADA Vs WADA—WADA proved the
voluntariness of nar singh in taking drugs and hence the punishment was more
Prostitution—sometimes is not because of free will but due to majboori
d. Use IMMANUEL KANT’S Categorical Imperative(Whether the action done
universally i.e by everyone then the action is sustainable??)/Golden rule( Do
onto others what you want yourself to be done to), SATYAGRAHA( however it
should be for the benefit of others not yourself)
e. Good effect must not be derived from bad effect(Ex- you shot your enemy but
accidently shot terrorist)
f. Intention must be good (Ex- corruption for whatever cause cant be justified)
g. Good effect must be a primary effect and not derived
h. If bad effect is taken away then good effect should remain, if not then the action
is not justified.
i. Other effects that affect an action—Extrinsic---Ethics, Laws, Rules,
Regulations….Intrinsic—Attitude, Conscience (Gandhiji while getting jail term
told judge that although I broke law however my conscience was clear and hence
I am not guilt of the cause), Values, Morals
• WHY UNLAWFULLNESS/CORRUPTION???
a. As per SC, there is Surety of punishment absent. In India we have debate on
Surety vs Severity
b. Improper Internalisation about Laws (IT are not taught since childhood and
hence there is not much emphasis on paying IT)
c. Shortage of personnel
d. Laws are complex---Resourceful ppl misuse it
e. Feeling that Laws are for collective benefit is missing in India
f. Voice of conscience is not present
g. Overregulation and overlapping laws
h. Broken window syndrome---Example—Spitting in public(ek ne kiya, sab law
todne lagte hai)
i. People at top not seen to be following law (Bureaucrats not wearing seat belts
on back seat, recent case of DM’s slapping people)
j. Laws attempt to curb the systems not the cause of disease. Example--There is
issue of fines on parking at public place but the designated parking spaces are
missing which forces people to park at other places and inculcate habit of
breaking laws. Ex- There are sign boards of don’t litter but dustbins nearby are
missing
k. Laws are ambiguous—Example
l. Laws are not updated timely—Ex-Speed limits not updated timely on highways.
HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE TO FOLLOW LAW???
a. Attitudinal change
b. Persuasion willingly but not coercively
c. Value education at younger age(Ex- School trip to power plant will make students
aware about how much environment is degraded for generation of electricity—this
will persuade them to not waste electricity)
d. Role of Media---There is a need for media to take responsive role and thereby
sensitize young brains about violence, Sex, equality
e. Change thru Education Example—ASHA workers, Teacher award-- Ranjitsinh Disale
2020
WHY PEOPLE DO NOT HELP OTHERS??
a. BY-STANDERS EFFECT—A socio psychological phenomenon i.e
in Emergency versus non emergency situations
direct responsibily or diffused resp
Seen as somebody else’s problem
In this effect, there is a five step process
A. Notice—i.e people observe others and act accordingly which includes public
etiquette
B. Interpret the situations i.e whether samne wale ki personal problem hai ya
general problem h
C. Degree of Responsibility felt—koi bewde ko girte dekh k may be tum na jao help
karne, par koi bacha gire to help kar doge
D. Forms of Assistance—direct help karoge ya kisi aur k thru i.e Police ko call karoge
but issue is ki tum khud fas jaoge
b. Increase in Individualism specially in Urban areas as rural areas me cooperation k
bina kaam nhi chalta, feeling of cooperation missing In urban
c. Economic values>Social value i.e Kisi ki help karne me time waste hoga, money
waste hoga etc
d. Materialism leading to loss of human value
e. Media has desensitize violence, death
f. Victim effect---Every individual considers himself a victim so saamne wale ki problem
utni jyada nhi lagti
g. Trust deficit in society---help karte baari doubt aata hai ki chori karne k liye naatak to
nhi kar rahe
h. Lack of Good Samaritan law in India
31. LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS
Laws-An ordinance of reason promulgated for common good. It induces and
restrains certain actions.
What makes a law just? If it is physically and morally possible to follow Example—
Beef ban not immoral to follow for few communities. It justly distributes burden and
favour (Unlike French revolution whr it was not justly distributed). As per Thomas
Aquinas, human beings are by nature rational beings and it is morally appropriate
that they should behave in a way that conforms to their rational nature.
Rules clarify, supplement or fill gaps of law. They are guidelines for smooth
functioning of organization or an institution. They can be formal or informal.
In govt parlance, rules are called delegated or subordinate legislations. Regulatory
bodies create regulations.
32. INTEGRITY
Integrity as the integration of self and maintenance of identity, standing for
something. Relation between a person’s intention and corresponding action
As per Harry Frankfurt, the desires and wills are arranged in hierarchy i.e primary,
secondary and tertiary. A person whose various levels of desires are in harmony will
be person with [Link] one simply acted at each moment out of the strongest
current desire with no deliberation on discrimination between more or less
worthwhile desires. Then one clearly acts w/o integrity.
33. CONSCIENCE---Inner voice
Viewed as acting as guide to doer’s behaviour. Its an attribute comprising of
knowledge of vices and virtues. It is present in all but strongness [Link] depends on
cultural value system. Example- In patriarchial setup when women’s rights are
violated, your conscience may not tell you to do otherwise because of the cultural
setup you are brought up in.
Example—in corruption ID dominates
CRITICAL CONSCIENCE—Capacity to rationally weigh the principles of responsibility.
Imp for development of moral conscience.
CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR---Example—Mohammad ali refused to join Vietnam war
inspite of when all his medals etc were taken away from him since his conscience
didn’t agree that a strong country should attack a small and weak country.
CASE SERIES
A. IDENTIFY STAKEHOLDERS
B. ETHICAL ISSUES/DILEMNA INVOLVED
C. GIVE OPTIONS WITH MERITA/DEMIERITS
D. WAY AHEAD
Lec 33 of sleepy classes—solutions of case studies
ETHICAL DILEMNAS
A. PERSONAL BENEFIT VS PUBLIC GAIN
Example-Adarsh society scam
B. PRIVATE ETHICS VS PROFESSIONAL
C. HONESTY VS POLITICAL PRESSURE
D. WORK VS LIFE (transfers )
E. Crisis of CONSCIENCE
F. SECRECY VS TRANSPARENCY (RTI)
G. RETRIBUTON VS REFORMATION( Juvenile crimes)
H. DEVELOPMENT VS GROWTH (Bhagwati vs Amartya sen debate—sen argued that first
we need to focus on development then growth)
I. ENVRONMENT VS GROWTH (Bad environment affects women more—water
shortage—door jana padega paani lane k liye)
J. SOCIAL ETHICS VS ECONOMIC EFFECTS (Bystanders effect)
K. MEANS VS ENDS (Materialism)
L. EXTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY VS INNER RESPONSIBILITY (kachra fekna)
M. SPEED VS ACCURACY (Media—less research just sensationalism)
N. HONESTY VS INTEGRITY
O. CENTRALISED VS DECENTRALISED
P. NATIONAL INTEREST VS HUMANISTIC PERSPECTIVE (refugee crisis, Dams
construction and displacement)
Q. PUNISHMENT VS REWARD
R. BEHAVIOUR VS ATTITUDE ( behaviour towards other Caste/religion due to fear of
police and actual attitude towards them)
S. SWIFT RESPONSE VS FOLLOWING SOPs(Prakash singh report for haryana riots
mentioned that police waited for following SOPs while need was for swift action,
GOLDEN HOUR, Action during disaster)
T. DISCRETION VS SOP
U. LOYALTY TO FAMILY VS LOYALTY TO HUMANISTIC VALUES
V. EMPATHY VS EFFICIENCY(Office me)
W. USING PUBLIC UTILITY FOR PERSONAL GAINS (using Office car for home)
X. National security vs privacy (Aadhaar, New IT act)
Y. AUTONOMY VS ACCOUNTABILITY( Bureaucracy)
Z. EPISODIC ACCOUNTABILITY VS CONTINUOUS ACCOUNTABILITY
34. IDEAL CIVIL SERVANT
NOLAN COMMITTEE----SAHILOO
• SELFLESS---Public office holder should work for public interest only
• ACCOUNTABLE—Responsible for work plus punishment for unfinished work (Local
bodies are not held responsible for deaths due to Potholes, shortage of oxygen in
CORONA )
• HONEST---Duty to declare any private interests
• INTEGRITY—Holders of public office should not place themselves under financial or
other obligation to outside people which may put obligations on them
• LEADERSHIP—Ethics in Management vs Ethical management, example-TN SESHAN
argues that we should not only advocate for following ethics but we should walk
the talk by setting example
• OBJECTIVITY—Working w/o Biases and prejudices, arbitrariness
• OPENNESS
35. VALUES VS SKILLS
• A question of internal control or external cure
• SKILLS—External methods and techniques applied to perform a task, it can be
acquired and upgraded.
• Issues---Higher skills are acquired but values are either missing or not aligned
with social good( Satyam scam, Terrorists—highly skilled but low values)
• Address Value Gap as well as Skill gap
36. DUTIES VS RIGHTS
• DUTY- A sense of moral commitment or obligation to someone or
something, Ex-Civic duty, professional/personal duty
• RIGHTS-Normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people
(Legal, social etc)
• Rights are demanded when someone doesn’t perform his/her duty.
Example-MNREGA Became right when state failed to provide citizens their
due
• Duties done is the cause and rights satisfied is the effect
• Performing duties is a sustainable solution while Giving rights is a
symptomatic solution
37. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
• A set of Rules, practices and processes under which a company is regulated
and controlled.
• Stakeholders in company-Shareholders, financers, mgmnt, customers,
suppliers, govt, society.
• Why need of CG- Increasing pvt sector, inc Globalisation, Inc retail
participation in mkt, Need for Inc FDI. Mgmt board and auditors nexus helps
to evade taxes ex-Satyam scam, Insider trading ex- Rajat gupta case, Shell
companies, Gender equality, Glass ceiling, Pink collared jobs, Safety of
employees in workplace, Companies evading CSR or using it to promote their
business, Cartel formation by companies, Base erosion effect
• Examples- Sahara scam, satyam, ponzi schemes
• PRINCIPLES:
a. SUPERVISORY FRAMEWORK:
b. Regulators to take into account Company’s size, ownership structure,
geographical spread.
c. Shareholder’s rights---Secure methods of ownership registration transfer,
access to timely, relevant material info on the corporation, right to vote
in shareholders meeting
d. Institutional Investors and markets:
e. Read from other source---OECD PRINCIPLES
38. ETHICS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
a. Refugee crisis----Countries who are not allowing refugees defend thru LIFEBOAT
ETHICS i.e Countries are lifeboats which cant be filled infinitely
b. Legitimacy of International institutions—Hegemony, conditional loans,
Responsibility to protect( US’s attack on Iraq,Afghanistan)
c. Airspace
d. Rivers (teeta, indus, brahmputra, Sudan and south sudan fought war over a lake)
e. Use of country’s soil to breed terrorism against another—Pak, Protecting masood
azhar by china in UNSC, OBOR thru POK, a contested territory
f. Tragedy of commons(ozone depleting, antarctica melting)
g. International diseases e.g Corona
h. Protectionism
i. International blockades and sanctions impact poor more
j. Rights of Non citizens—EX-NITAQAT LAW In Saudi, US visa row
k. Diaspora rights
l. Organised crimes
m. Incursion in Global waters, ex- china in SCS
39. ACCOUNTABILITY
a. Answerabilty and enforcement---
b. Horizontal vs Vertical accountability
c. Political vs Legal accountability---Parliament helding accountable vs Judiciary
holding Govt accountable
d. Principles of A/cy
• Information flow
• Capacity to sanction govt i.e ameer logo ki capacity jyada hogi
A/cy set thru—Social Audits, RTI, Participation of citizens(PESA ACT),
Pressure grps, PIL, Technology([Link], twitter etc), Media, elections,
citizen report card(in bengluru citizen give report card to municipal
bodies)