TLP
Phase 2 – Day 17 Synopsis 2019
1. Can one’s ethical standards be different for public and private life? Critically
comment.
Introduction:
Ethics are moral principles that govern one's behaviour. Ethical standards are
principles that when followed, promote values such as trust, good behaviour,
fairness, and/or kindness. There is not one consistent set of standards that all follow,
but each organisation has the right to develop the standards that are meaningful for
them.
Body:
Ethical standards are often found to be different:
• In private life, ambitions and goals, constraints and difficulties, of an
individual sometimes result in a compromise of values.
• Freedom of choice enables the individual to make quick choices suited for
them, sometimes even foregoing ethical values, just to achieve the end result
in a faster pace.
• Public relationships are more instrumental such as organizational colleagues,
politicians, strangers, and others outside of one’s relatively narrow circle of
intimacy. It is the action of getting along with people we constantly come in
touch with whereas private life is almost completely based on what the
individual thinks is right.
• Choosing private interests: When it comes to private interests, individuals
tend to act with personal motive and are ignorant of its effects on the public
as a whole.
• Openness and transparency: Private lives are influenced by closed choices,
secretive decisions and emphasize privacy whereas public lives delve on
openness and transparency and hence render more accountability to one
another.
• Example: Kesab Chandra Sen opposed child marriage but married his own
underage daughter to Maharaja of Cooch Bihar. Consequently, his followers
abandoned him and founded Sadharan Brahmo Samaj (1878). Thus, if there is
inconsistency in the public life and private life of a person, it leads to
disastrous outcomes.
However, certain ethical standards that should be similar in both private and
public life are:
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TLP Phase 2 – Day 17 Synopsis 2019
• Integrity- In both private and public spheres of life one should have highest
sense of integrity and not be influenced by any outside individual or
organization which might affect their performance.
• Honesty- Both have to have utmost honesty and sincerity in their actions and
both have to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that affects
their respective private and public lives.
• Morally responsible- In both the spaces, an individual should have a sense of
moral obligation in the interest of overall welfare of everyone around, and
not resort to extreme actions which destroy the harmonious fabric.
• Virtues of compassion, cordialness, basic civic sense etc. are important in any
sphere of life, and help one’s wholesome growth as both a private individual
and a peer in general.
• Example: Following fundamental duties by an individual like respecting
national flag, not destroying public property, protect environment, wildlife
etc. should be done irrespective of private or public space.
Conclusion:
Moral relativism as a bar for comparing ethical standards in private and public life
will not be the right judgement of the same. Some ethical values should be followed
in both spheres of an individual irrespective of the consequences, and some are
based on their matter of influence over the individual’s life. Nevertheless, any action
by an individual must be logical and work on self-betterment and contribute to the
larger welfare of the public life he/she is involved in.
2. How can one make ethical decisions? Is it possible to have good ethical
behaviour without proper conscience? Examine.
Introduction
Decisions about right and wrong permeate everyday life. Ethics should concern all
levels of life: acting properly as individuals, creating responsible organizations and
governments, and making our society as a whole more ethical
Body
Approach towards making ethical decisions:
Utilitarian approach: Utilitarianism is one of the most common approaches to
making ethical decisions, especially decisions with consequences that concern large
groups of people, in part because it instructs us to weigh the different amounts of
good and bad that will be produced by our action.
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Example: Airline industry offers first class, business class and economy class seats.
This is the decision taken by airline industry to benefit people.
Rights based approach: This approach stipulates that the best ethical action is that
which protects the ethical rights of those who are affected by the action. It
emphasizes the belief that all humans have a right to dignity.
Example: Decision on euthanasia is considered on rights based approach
Justice approach/ Fairness approach: it provides a procedure for what counts as a
fair action, and does not concern itself with the consequences of those actions.
Fairness of starting point is the principle for what is considered just.
Example: In order to seek benefits from government aadhar is a compulsory
document. In many cases many people are deprived by the identity establishment.
The decision to reach basic amenities can be sought by justice approach.
Common good approach: the best society should be guided by the “general will” of
the people which would then produce what is best for the people as a whole. This
approach to ethics underscores the networked aspects of society and emphasizes
respect and compassion for others, especially those who are more vulnerable.
Example: Giving insurance to people so that they are able to go to doctor.
Virtue approach: this emphasizes the importance of acting virtuously in a variety of
situations. It is concerned with the entirety of a person’s life; it takes the process of
education, process of brought up, handling all sorts of emotions and understanding
of how to engage in ethical deliberation.
Example: In a company decision to assign a work to an employee could be based on
virtue approach. More reliable, honest, patient, with integrity will always have an
edge
Conscience: It is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations
based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience is based on
perspective of a person; it holds the content how we perceive the situation.
Good ethical behaviour with conscience:
Example: A corporate social responsibility contributes to sustainable development by
delivering economic and social benefits with the rational decisions.
Good ethical behaviour without conscience:
Example: According to anti defection law, a person voting on the lines of party whip
is considered as good ethical behaviour even though it is against his conscience.
It can be inferred that good ethical behaviour and conscience are not always in sync,
it depends on the situation, stake holders and perceiving the issue.
Conclusion
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Voice of conscience is the source of ethical decision making. Gandhi rightly said “The
human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of
conscience.”
3. Why is it important to have high ethical standards in civil services. Examine-in
the light of the current bureaucratic discourse.
Introduction
The ethics and values for the civil services have to be of higher standards, unique
and properly structured from those for the citizens or other sectors of the society
because civil servants have special obligations to the community.
Body
The values of – Selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty,
leadership, compassion, etc., are expected of civil servants and, therefore, it is
necessary that civil service values should reflect them.
Role of civil services:
• Formulating laws and policies
• Implementing them ‘on-ground' level
• Carrying out various administrative functions of government like Internal
security, tax collection.
• Dealing with Funds
• Public service delivery
• Role model for youth etc.,
High ethical standards are necessary for civil services because,
• The ethical standards of Impartiality and objectivity bring merit into
organisation. thereby, increasing predictability, which improves economic
efficiency
• Corruption makes public service delivery inefficient, which leads to a vicious
cycle of poverty and a near-zero improvement in citizen's lives. For example,
the integrity and honesty of Rajni sekri sibal, an IAS officer of Haryana cadre
brought the JBT recruitment scam into the limelight.
• Lower corruption levels also symbolises confidence in trading and operating
environment which are Important for Developing countries.
• Adding the component of compassion to day to day works makes a lot of
difference to the poor families lives. Just as People’s collector [Link]
IAS brought to the families of Bonded labourers.
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• Outcomes for society are better when the decisions of public office holders
are made fairly and on merit and not influenced by personal and private
interests
• High standards of civil servants percolate down benefitting the economy
through their effect on international confidence.
Conclusion
civil servants are ultimately responsible and accountable for the varied and
multitude of services they [Link], To obtain assurance and in the best interests
of society, they have to take care that high ethical standards are being met.
4. What do ancient texts and scriptures have to tell about administration? Do you
find the reference to morality in these texts? Comment.
Introduction
Morality refers to the system of values and principles of conduct that help a person
differentiate between right and wrong. India has a rich tradition of literature that
deals with a wide range of subjects from administration, religion to daily activities.
Body
References for administration can be found in Atharva Veda, epics like Mahabharata
and Ramayana, Silapaddikaran, Arthashastra and Manusmriti. The most details
account, however, is from Arthashastra.
These texts tell the following about administration:
• Emphasis on duties- Text like Mahabharata lists duties of king, ministers and
people.
• System of administration- Even though a monarchy, a well-defined
administrative structure with delineation of duties for priests, treasurers,
spies, etc. was maintained.
• Decentralisation- Village sabhas and samitis were the base of administration.
• Function of state- Primary function of state was to maintain law and order,
punishing wrongdoers and protecting subjects.
• Criminal justice system- Corruption, theft or other criminal acts were severely
punished.
References to morality
• Justice- King is called the fountain of justice, who ensures justice to everyone
owing to his wisdom. Good governance was conceptualized as ‘Ram Rajya’.
• Integrity- Arthashastra talks about how carefully every officer was selected so
as to ensure there is no corruption.
• Freedom- Decentralisation, role of state as a protector of subjects hints
about the freedom people used to enjoy.
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• Compassion- Kautilya in Arthashastra urged the rulers to remain
compassionate to their subjects.
• Objectivity- All major decisions like public appointments, awarding contracts
etc. were taken based on merit.
• Accountability- The owners of public office were held accountable fro their
actions, though being a monarchy the system was different than what we see
today.
Conclusion
Ancient treatises based administration on morality. Every action was judged through
the prism of good or bad, thus ensuring good governance and welfare of the public.
Q5. Describe the significance of ethical conduct in one’s private life.
Introduction:
Ethics is our set of principles for living and acting. It guides us in creating the world in
which we wish to live.
Body:
Being fair, honest and ethical is one of the basic human needs. Primarily it is the
individual, the consumer, the employee or the human social unit of the society who
benefits from ethics. In addition, ethical conduct is important because of the
following:
• Make own and others live better: Ethics affect everyday life. By being ethical
and moral, we enrich our lives and the lives of those around us. When we
help make society better, we are rewarded with also making better own lives
and the lives of our families and friends. Without ethical and moral conduct,
society would be a miserable place.
• Creating Credibility: Someone who has ethical conduct will secure a better
position in society, as that person will be trusted more. An Individual who is
believed to be driven by ethical and moral values is respected in the society
even by those who may have not known him/her.
• Personal and Professional Success: Where ethics are taken seriously, and
people strive to make ethical decisions and actions, personal and professional
success follow.
• Better decision making: Decisions are driven by values. Practising and making
an effort to make ethical and moral decisions throughout life will pay
dividends when we are faced with serious moral dilemmas. Consciously or
unconsciously, we use ethics with every decision.
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• Lessen stress. When we make immoral decisions, we tend to feel
uncomfortable and concerned about our decision making. Making the right
ethical decision, or taking a principled perspective on an issue, reduces stress.
• A better understanding of Life: Ethical values also help people develop a
sense of truth and the meaning of life. Without any idea or understanding of
what is right versus wrong people have no direction in life and feel they are
free to do as they please. Ethics give this sense of truth and positively affect
one’s behaviour.
• Better leadership: What seems so minimal on a personal level can actually
affect the entire society. Personal ethics produce good leadership, which help
create better societies.
• Long Term Gains: Individuals guided by ethics and values are successful in the
long run, though in the short run they may seem to lose.
Conclusion:
Ethics tries to create a sense of right and wrong in individual and society and often
when the law fails, it is the ethics that may stop one from harming the society or
environment.
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