Ethics, Integrity, Aptitude - 2

Dimensions of ethics

Ethics in private and public relations

Thinkers and philosophers

Ethical dilemma

Law and Ethics

Human Values

Dimensions of ethics

Philosophical Utilitarianism

Virtue approach

Justice approach

Common good approach

Rights Approach

Theoretical Dimension Descriptive ethics

Normative ethics

Meta ethics

Applied ethics

What is meant by ‘environmental ethics’? Why is it

important to study? Discuss any one environmental issue

from the viewpoint of environmental ethics. (150 words)

Why?

How we are harming

Our Responsibilities

How to bring changes

Policy - EIA

Technology – Solar, wind, hydro

Attitude – Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

2013/6 You are the Executive Director of an upcoming InfoTech Company

which is making a name for itself in the market.Mr. A, who is a star performer, is heading the marketing team. In a short period of one year, he has helped in doubling the revenues as well as creating a high brand equity for the Company so much so that you are thinking of promoting him. However, you have been receiving information from many corners about his attitude towards the female colleagues; particularly his habit of making loose comments on women. In addition, he regularly sends indecent SMS’s to all the team members including his female colleagues.

One day, late in the evening, Mrs. X, who is one of Mr. A’s team members, comes to you visibly disturbed. She complains against the continued misconduct of Mr. A, who has been making undesirable advances towards her and has even tried to touch her inappropriately in his cabin. She tenders her resignation and leaves your office. (20 marks | 250 words)

1. What are the options available to you?2. Evaluate each of these options and choose the option you

would adopt, giving reasons.

Introduction

Key issue/value/topic – Ethical Organisation

Stakeholders

Dilemma

Any other observation

Options

1. Not taking any action against Mr. A and accept Mrs. X resignation.

2. Giving a warning to Mr. A and asking Mrs. X to forgive him

3. Asking for a written complaint from Mrs. X and taking strong action against Mr. A

Course of action

Appropriate action - As per the SHW Act 2013

A committee with appropriate women members

Motivation of female employees

Individual employees are not bigger that the company.

Ethics in Private and Public relations

Private Relationships Family and friends; Informal More intimate; accommodate more imperfections;

expectations of love and affectionPublic Relations Society and organisation; Formal and predictable Legal and social obligation Often temporary; usually engaged due to mutual benefits;

expectation of respect

Ethics

Husband – wife

Parents – Children

Friends

Public life

Untouchablity; Sister in law marriage

Spouse Understanding – different/unique Not to impose Participation in decision making Should not obstruct – hobbies/career…promote Feel proud of achievement vs competition If wrong – responsibility to correct Mission on achievement – extra support Marital rape; Absolute monogamy vs Monogamish;

Children

Simple living; greedy => most problems in society

Parents unethical acts=> lies/smoke/drink

Mistakes of parents => accept and correct; appreciate the child

Corporal punishment? Purpose?

Friends

Trust and trustworthy – Duryodhana, karna, Bhanumati, dice game

Critical role in inculcation and sustenance of habits

Offer necessary emotional support

Support the ethical acts

Public life

Impact of our actions on others – open defecation; smoking in public;

Celebrity – Role model; your opinion matters; your action matters; Ex – Sudha Murthy; Dr Rajkumar; Sachin Tendulkar

Public servant – Efficiency and effectiveness

Crucial values

Obidience, efficiency, effectiveness – org

Compassion, tolerance, respect for social values – society

Love, care, concern – family

Honesty, trustworthiness – all relations

We have to prioritize and balance with these; Untouchability; sister in law marriage

Conflicts of interest

An individual has multiple interest/loyalties/duties => personal, official, social/public, org, nation

When these interest or loyalties competing with each other it becomes difficult to take the objective decision.

Judge – accused is a family member

Order for slum demolition

Election in naxal prone area

Holding more than one post

Actual vs PotentialActual = At present

A – Civil servant; Allocate tender – road project – brother

Potential => possibility in the future

A – Senior officer; B – Team member – report; salary and promotion; relative or friend

A – Civil service officer; He is posted in his native district which is known for communal issues

Mary Kom – Selection panel – Dronacharya Award –Chhote Lal Yadav

Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar – MLAs disqualification – Karnataka

Anshuman Gaekwad – Cricket Advisory Committee + AG School of Cricket (Guj) – Notice – Resign

How to deal? Try to avoid the conflicts of interest - Transferring the

responsibility, if possible

Making voluntary disclosure

Restriction on my involvement

Third party observation

Taking the decision in the public interest without violating the laws

2016/4 You are a young, aspiring and sincere employee in a Government

office working as an assistant to the director of your department. Since you have joined recently, you need to learn and progress. Luckily your superior is very kind and ready to train you for your job. He is a very intelligent and well-informed person having knowledge of various departments. In short, you respect your boss and are looking forward to learn a lot from him.

Since you have good tuning with the boss, he started depending on you. One day due to ill health he invited you at his place for finishing some urgent work.

You reached his house and before you could ring the bell you heard shouting noises. You waited for a while. After entering the house the boss greeted you and explained the work. But you were constantly disturbed by the crying of a woman. At last, you inquired with the boss but his answer did not satisfy you.

Next day, you were compelled to inquire further in the office and found out that his behavior is very bad at home with his wife. He also beats up bit wife. His wife is not well educated and is a simple woman in comparison to her husband. You see that though your boss is a nice person in the office, he is engaged in domestic violence at home.

In such a situation, you are left with the following options. Analyse each option with its consequences.

a) just ignore thinking about it because it is their personal matter.

b) Report the case to the appropriate authority.

c) Your own innovative approach towards situation.(250 words)

Introduction

Dilemma => Personal wellbeing vs Social responsibility

Values are in question => Moral courage and compassion

Question => Extent of interference in the personal issues of others

Ignore – personal matter

+ my relation with boss without any hurdle

- Guilty in my own court of conscience

- Loss of integrity

- Against virtue approach – empathy and compassion; moral courage

Report the case to appropriate authority

+This may act as deterrent

+ My value of courage, empathy and compassion.

- Surety of justice? Wife – simple and uneducated; boss – influential and intelligent; may escape

- My job is at risk

Innovative Approach

Bring the change..maintain his dignity…sustainable

Meet his wife; her side of story; awareness

Persuade the boss;

My boss is person with good aptitude, hopefully he will understand.

Thinkers and Philosophers

Mahatma Gandhi’s Talisman (1869

– 1948) "I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or

when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man [woman] whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him [her]. Will he [she] gain anything by it? Will it restore him [her] to a control over his [her] own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to swaraj [freedom] for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melt away."

According to the Mahatma Gandhi’s Talisman concept

Whenever a decision is to be made or a policy needs to be

created – we have to give priority to the concerns of

poorest or weakest person in the context

Trusteeship

Answer to the economic inequalities

Vs Marxian socialism

Everything belonged to God and was from God

Resources - His people, as a whole, not for any particular

individual

Individual had more - he became a trustee

An answer to the economic inequalities

Kind of nonviolent way of resolving all social and

economic conflicts

Marxian socialism -destruction of the class called

capitalists (Violence), whereas the Gandhian approach -to

reform it (Change in the heart and mind).

John Rawls - Theory of Justice

American Philosopher

Veil of ignorance

Theory of justice

Veil of ignorance

It is a method of determining the morality of issues.

when designing rules for your society, you should be ignorant

of what social position you yourself will occupy.

By being ignorant of our circumstances, we can more

objectively consider how societies should operate

Veil of ignorance – Reservation;; Dam construction; FDI;

Traditions; Progressive tax; Refugee crisis

Theory of Justice

Everyone must have the best possible life which does

not cause harm to others.

Everyone must be able to improve their position

Any inequalities must be present solely if they benefit

everyone (they should help those who are the worst

off).

Weber’s Bureaucracy Model (1864

– 1920) A German Philosopher and sociologist

Duty in accordance with law.

No other factor except law determines the duty or course of activities.

Bureaucrats should have undiluted attachment to law and rules.

People’s interest or general welfare of society are secondary considerations to a bureaucrat.

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) German philosopher

Kant’s categorical imperative

Always act so that you may also wish that the maxim of

your action become a universal law.

Act in such a way that you treat humanity as an end and

never merely as a means

Aristotle - the Golden Mean (4th C

BC) Moral behavior is the mean between two extremes - at one

end is excess, at the other deficiency.

Find a moderate position between those two extremes, and

you will be acting morally

Buddha – Middle path; Confucius – The doctrine of the

mean

St. Thomas Aquinas (13th C) European priest and philosopher

Four Cardinal (basic) Virtues

Prudence – Wisdom, ability to judge appropriate/right

action; opinion of experts

Courage – ability/strength to face uncertainty

Temperance – self control – foods, drink and sex

Justice – fairness; Community vs individual interest

Gandhi’s concept of the Seven

Social Sins Politics without principles.

Wealth without work.

Pleasure without conscience.

Knowledge without character.

Commerce without morality.

Science without humanity.

Religion without tolerance

Ubuntu Philosophy South Africa – 1980s and 1990s

Ubuntu => "humanity"; "I am because we are," "humanity

towards others", "the belief in a universal bond of sharing

that connects all humanity"

We are all bound together; we are all connected; what we

do affects the whole World

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation

of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key

societal members who can make a difference. They are the

father, the mother and the teacher.

Gautama Buddha Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future,

concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Health is greatest gift, contentment is the greatest wealth,

and faithfulness is the best relationship.

Three things cannot be long hidden; the sun, the moon,

and the truth

The mind is everything; what you think you become

To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s

family, to bring peace to all, one must be disciplined and

control his mind. If a man can control his mind, he can

find the way to enlightenment and all wisdom and virtue

will naturally come to him

Hatred does not ease by hatred, but only by love. This is

the eternal rule.

You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.

To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

Socrates

Father of Western Philosophy

Second half of 5th C BC; Greek

The unexamined life is not worth living

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act it is a habit

The fewer our wants, the more we resemble the Gods

True wisdom comes to us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves and the world around us

He is a man of courage who does not run away, but

remains at his post and fights against the enemy

It is not living that matters but living rightly

The more you know => better reasoning; better choices=>

true happiness

What does the following quotation mean to you in the present context?

“The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject anything, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more evil than good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost everything, especially of governmental policy, is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgementof the preponderance between them is continually demanded. ”Abraham Lincoln ( 150 words)

FDI in retail sector – competition vs small traders

Adhaar for benefit transfer => efficiency; corruption vsilliteracy; technology; privacy

Green revolution

Construction of dam

Production of nuclear energy

AFSPA

Cutting the trees to widen the road

Ethical Dilemma

Bus Maximum Capacity vs Old age couple

Inter-state restrictions vs Migrants

Economic needs of the country vs Spread of infection => Livelihoods vs Life

Layoff workers vs Support in crisis => Pragrmatism vsCompassion

Corona Warriors => Interest of the family vs Interest of the society/profession

Ethical dilemma

It is a situation where we have to make choice,

where significant value conflicts are there;

there are alternatives that are almost equally justifiable;

giving importance to one value may lead to the compromising with the other values

Public Institutions1. Superior Directive vs Public Good

Eg- Flyover safety; Preventive detention

2. Preferential treatment vs Non-discrimination

Compassion vs Impartiality

Under-privileged vs Meritorious people

PT – only till a limited period; gradual decrease; limited generations; capacity building vs employment opportunities

3. Honesty vs Efficiency

Eg – Subordinates are corrupt; not easy to remove; if you remove – replacement; strict action – non cooperation

4. Law and Ethics

Old woman without documents; Old man with heart problem – not belong a particular community

Private Institutions1. Automation vs Employment = efficiency vs responsibility

2. Sin Industries – Tobacco, alcohol, porn – Jobs and tax; warnings vs health issues; increasing health expenditure

3. Profit vs Envt concern (pollution; green technologies)

4. Profit vs Employee welfare (Salary)

5. Profit vs Ethical values (bribing govt officials)

Ethical decision is not necessarily

Religion

Laws

Culturally accepted norms

Feeling

Science

Choose the option – as far as possible

Produces the most good and do the least harm

Respects the rights of all who have a stake

Treats the people equally, considers effort, deservedness, and need

Best serves the community as whole, not just some members

Adds virtues to my personality

Ethical Decision making Facts/observations/issues Stakeholders Values/principles/loyalties Available options Consult your conscience /seek expert advice/Discuss with

stakeholders What are the possible outcomes? – short term/long term;

personal/family/org/society What is best possible solution? What is the limitation of the best possible solution?

2017 You are the head of the Human Resources department of an

organisation. One day one of the workers died on duty. His family was demanding compensation. However, the company denied compensation because it was revealed in investigation that he was drunk at the time of the accident. The workers of the company went to strike demanding compensation for the family of the deceased. The Chairman of the management board has asked for your recommendation.

What are the options available to you? Discuss the merits and demerits of each of the options. Suggest the final course of action.

Provide Compensation

+Ethical duty of company- Commitment of employee

+ calm down anger of the workers

+ loyalty and motivation of workers

- unjust demands in the future

- financial burden on the company

Deny Compensation

+ Objectivity- Company is not responsible..lifestyle

- increase of anger of employees..continue strike..loss to the company

- company’s insensitivity towards workers demands

Temporary hold on the decision; Investigation- nature accident; reason for drinking..stress at job…financial situation of family

+ better informed decision + Not yield to the pressure of strike + Investigation – Future..preventionCompensation can be given Employee welfare fund Collecting from employees..myself Job to member of family; scholarship to children

Topper’s Ethics Marks

Year Name of the Candidate

UPSC IAS Mains Exam Marks Optional Subject

SelectedGS4

2018 Kanishak Kataria 116 Mathematics

2017 Anudeep Durishetty 95 Anthropology

2016 Nandini KR 104 Kannada Lit.

2015 Tina Dabi 110 Political Science

2014 Ira Singhal 130 Geography

2013 Gaurav Aggarwal 102 Economics

Law and Ethics

Ethics – general guidelines; expected behaviour

Law – Set of rules and regulation; Must follow

Violation? Written form?

Laws – minimum ethical standards

Violation of traffic rules to save a life

Homosexual relations; CDM;

Marital rape; Edward Snowden

More tax on rich people; Child labour

Objective => Peaceful Society

Approach

Law => Fines; jail terms

Ethics => Awareness; changing the heart and mind; persuasion; role models

Laws ensures external behaviour; Ethics – internal long lasting changes

Open defecation; child marriage; women temple entry etc

Civil Servant should have ethical concerns along with legal obligation

Better interpretation of law;

Fill the gaps in the law

Understand the needs of the people;

Optimum utilisation of resources

Some Quotes Ethics is knowing the difference between what you

have a right to do and what is right to do (Polygamy; smoking; alcohol etc)

Laws are spider webs through which the big flies pass and the little ones get caught.

Love is moral even without legal marriage, but marriage is immoral without love.

Differentiate between the following (200 words)

Law and Ethics

Ethical management and Management of ethics

Discrimination and Preferential treatment

Personal ethics and Professional ethics

Ethical management – Org legal obligations + Ethical concerns => CSR, honest advertisement, healthy competition

Management of ethics – Rules made by the org to maintain the ethics in an organisation; Code of conduct for civil service – Public fund – Effectively and efficiently;

Human Values

Essential for people to behave like humans (not like animals)

Examples – Tolerance; Empathy and Compassion, Peace, Equality, Justice, Honesty etc

Baba Amte; Mother Theresa; Mahatma Gandhi;

People’s officers

U Sagayam

Rahul Kumar

Gopalganj, Bihar

Prashanth Nair

Armstrong Pame

Shivdeep Waman Lande

Ganga Kumar along with his wife

Smitha Sabharwal

Narendra Kumar

Satyendra Dubey

T N Seshan (1955 – IAS-TN; 1989 – CS;1990-96 – 10th CEC)

What do you understand by ‘values’ and ‘ethics’? In what way is it important to be ethical along with being professionally competent? (10 marks | 150 words)

EC and PC

Only Values => Best intenstions vs Desirable result

Only PC => Selfish interest

PC leads – successful career; profit to org..short time

Values gives =>True happiness, inner peace, to avoid crisis of conscience

Power – responsibility; legal obligations; ethical concerns

Examples

The crisis of ethical values in modern times is traced to a

narrow perception of the good life. Discuss. (150 Words,

10)

Introduction – Ethical values/Good life

The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. Bertrand Russell (British Philosopher)

Body – Analyse the issue both sides

Conclusion – Your opinion about good life.

Many – good life => Huge money; big house; luxury vehicles;

Pleasure without responsibility => drink and drive; drugs; sexual pleasure – harrassment

Modern times => progress, rationality, freedom; practical => unhealthy competition, exploitation, mechanization; selfishness

Unpredictable future => temporary happiness vs long lasting relation; envt protection vs exploitation