Click here to download the schedule – English Medium | Hindi Medium
Subject – Administrative Ethics
Topic -Contribution of Moral Thinkers and Philosophers from India & the World. Ethical concerns, dilemmas, and challenges in administration
For Hindi medium – Click here
Ethics PYQs – Click Here
Click on the question to see the model answer. Submit your answers below and complete the 90-day challenge for RAS Mains answer writing
Q1. Explain the Social Contract theory of Thomas Hobbes.
Social contract theory – Individuals agree to give their liberty into the hands of a sovereign, on the sole condition that their lives are safeguarded by sovereign power. They do so to avoid the ‘state of nature’
Ex – Sacrificing right to freedom of movement in the time of CrPC section 144 = Safety, Security and law & order
Q2. Explain the concept of virtue as defined by various Western and Indian philosophers.(5M)
The word ‘virtue’ is derived from Latin Vir which means a man or hero. It corresponds to the Sanskrit word Virya,meaning manliness, bravery, power, energy, or excellence. Hence, Virtue refers to the inner character and its excellence.
| Philosophers | Virtue |
| Krishna (Geeta) | Sthithpragyta, Nishakam Karma, Yoga (bhakti, Gyaan, Karma etc) makes one’s inner character excellent and hence essential virtues |
| Socrates | Knowledge is only virtue and ignorance is only vice. |
| Plato | Wisdom, courage, Temperance and justice are 4 Cardinal Virtues |
| Aristotle | Happiness and virtue go together. Summum Bonum i.e happiness is the highest virtue. This happiness must come from the intellectual pleasures and philosophical contemplation |
| Buddha | Dhamma is the true virtue and various ways like 8 fold paths, madhyam marg are means to achieve this virtue |
| Mahavira | Virtues like 5 Mahavrata (Satya, Ahimsa, Bramhcharya, Asteya and Aparigraha), Ratnatraya (Samyak darshan, Samyak Jnana, Samyak charitra), Forgiveness (Micchami dukkadam) and self discipline and knowledge (Jina). |
| Immanuel Kant | Virtue is fortitude of will to fulfill one’s duties despite internal and external obstacles |
| John Rawls | Virtues of fairness, impartiality, non discrimination or positive discrimination, equity and justice |
| Jeremy Bentham | Virtue is greatest happiness/pleasure of greatest number [Utilitarianism] |
| James Mills | Virtues (like kindness, honesty, benevolence, and justice) are those qualities of character that tend to produce happiness, both for the individual and for society as a whole |
| Epicureanism | Virtues are not an end itself rather means to achieve happiness and tranquillity in life |
| John Locke | Virtues involves acting in accordance with reason and natural law, respecting and upholding the rights and freedoms/liberty of others and fulfilling obligation towards the society |
| Confucius | Five Constants” or the “Five Virtues,” which includes – Ren (compassion or kindness), Yi (Justice/fairness/equity), Li (maintaining harmony and order in interpersonal relationships and society), Zhi (wisdom or knowledge) and Xin (Credibility/trust). |
| Thomas Hobbes | Virtue, according to Hobbes, involves obedience to political authority, adherence to laws, and behaviors that contribute to the stability and security of society (Social contract theory) |
| Voltaire | Voltaire believed that true virtue lies in the exercise of reason and the pursuit of knowledge, rather than blind adherence to dogma or tradition. Voltaire also valued virtues such as tolerance and compassion. He advocated for religious tolerance. |
| Chankya | Virtues like temperance (self control), integrity (Against corruption), fortitude, humility, donation (Philanthropy) etc |
| Shankaracharya | According to Shankaracharya’s teachings in Advaita Vedanta spiritual growth, self-realization and Gyaan yoga are essential virtues to realize the non-dual nature of reality |
| Kabir | As depicted in his writings (Dohas), inner purity, love, devotion to the divine, love, compassion and selflessness are core virtues |
| Nanak | Naam Simran (meditating upon the divine name), Seva (Selfless Service), Equality (regardless of caste, creed, gender, or social status) and Santokh (Contentment) are the virtues of Sikhism as depicted by Guru Nanak |
| Vivekananda | Virtue involves living a life of fearlessness, truthfulness, unselfishness, purity of heart, and service to humanity, guided by the principles of Vedanta philosophy |
| Gandhi | Virtues like truth, nonviolence, self-discipline, compassion, and humility etc |
Q3 Enlist different types of ethical dilemmas faced by an administrator and give remedies for each of them.
Intro –
Definition – Situation when there is conflict between two or more moral principles and the moral agent need to pick one at the cost of other. Moral agents need to optimize the benefit
| Dilemma | Example | Remedy |
| Principle Vs preservation (सिद्धांत बनाम संरक्षण/रक्षा) | IES satyendra dubey exposed corruption in highway development – Was killed | Nehruvian Approach – National interest must be at the top |
| Professional life Vs personal life (व्यावसायिक जीवन बनाम निजी जीवन) | IPS officer 24*7 Duty – Less time to family members | Utilitarian Approach – The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number |
| Profit vs Social responsibility (लाभ बनाम सामाजिक जिम्मेदारी) Social ethics vs Economic ethics (सामाजिक नैतिकता बनाम आर्थिक नैतिकता) | An IAS officer heading DISCOM – Dilemma to bring it out of loss vs govt’s commitment to give free electricity | Common Goods Approach – What is good for society is good for an individual. Hence decisions should be beneficial for all members of society. |
| Preferential treatment vs non-discrimination (विशेषाधिकार बनाम गैर-भेदभाव) | Ex – Jharkhand tribal girl death from hunger due to denial of PDS (Biometric didn’t work) – Such a case demand preferential treatment | Rights Approach – Every human being has right to live with dignity |
| Punishment vs Reward (दण्ड बनाम पारितोषिक) | Offering flowers to those violating traffic rules = Change of heart | Justice/Fairness approach – All equals should be treated equally. |
| End vs Means (साध्य बनाम साधन) | End – To make a bridge for better traffic management Means – Need to break a temple = Religious sentiments might get hurt | Gandhian Approach – Both end and means should be auspicious for long-lasting impact |
| Autonomy vs Accountability (स्वायत्तता बनाम जवाबदेही) | Autonomy – To take CL (Casual Leave), PL (privilege leave) and other leaves Accountability – Of Incharge of office to get the work done on time Ex – Shri Satish Dhawan gave autonomy to APJ Abdul kalam for Rohini Satellite launch but when the launch failed, he made himself accountable for the failure | Virtue Based Approach – The act done by a virtuous person is right. Hence the decision maker should focus on character development first and then autonomy should be provided |
| Rules vs Discretion (नियम बनाम स्वविवेक) | Rules – Don’t provide PDS to anyone without proper documents Discretion – Someone dying from hunger must be provided relief | Deontological Approach – Follow Rules irrespective of the result Virtue Based Approach – Give discretion for effective implementation |
| Loyalty vs Honesty (वफादारी बनाम ईमानदारी) | Loyalty – Towards govt in power Honesty – Expose wrongdoing if required | Legal Approach – The action must follow the legal principles and hence must withstand the court’s trial |
| Automation vs Employment (ऑटोमेशन बनाम रोजगार) | Ex – Govt to promote AI, ML, Robotics and other cutting edge technology, on the other hand 69% jobs are at threat due to automation | Utilitarian Approach – The Greatest Good for the Greatest NumberJustice or fairness approach – Each according to his need, Each according to his ability |
| National interest vs Humanity (राष्ट्रहित बनाम मानवता) | Officer investigating Ajmal Kasab | Nehruvian Approach – National interest must be at top Vivekanadan Approach – Service to mankind is the ultimate goal |
| Development vs sustainability (विकास बनाम संधारणीयता/निरंतरता) | Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) to cut trees in Aarey forest Mumbai SC allowed to cut 177 trees [Penalty above than that] | Sustainable development |
| Letter of law vs Spirit of law (कानून बनाम कानून की भावना) | A traffic police challan a car carrying critical patient for overspeeding | Virtue Based Approach – The act done by a virtuous person is always right. Hence in such a case, intentions matter. |
| Speed vs accuracy (गति बनाम सटीकता) | Attempting RAS paper In administration – CM needs to inaugurate a bridge in 2 months. The speed must not compromise the safety standards | Utilitarian Approach – The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number [i.e try to maximize the outcome] |
| National security vs Privacy (राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा बनाम गोपनीयता) | Taking someone’s fingerprint or Narco test | Nehruvian Approach – National interest must be at top |
| Equality vs Equity (समानता बनाम न्याय संगतता) | Reservation in administrative jobs | Justice/Fairness approach – All equals should be treated equally. Favoritism should not be promoted |
| Senior’s order vs public good (वरिष्ठ का आदेश बनाम जनता की भलाई) | When the superior’s direction is against public good. Ex – A Junior can’t or shouldn’t rebel against his/her senior (Otherwise work culture gets spoiled) but also he/she shouldn’t get succumbed to wrong advice | Legal Approach – The action must follow the legal principles and hence must withstand the court’s trial |
| Secrecy vs Transparency (गोपनीयता बनाम पारदर्शिता) | Someone demanding information of national importance in RTI (RTI act section 8) | Nehruvian Approach – National interest must be at top |
| Centralization vs Decentralization (केंद्रीकरण बनाम विकेंद्रीकरण) | Too much Centralization = Imposing decisions on stakeholder = Poor result Too much decentralization = Inefficiency and Poor implementation | Buddha’s Madhyam marg or Aristotle’s golden mean approach |
| Justice vs mercy (न्याय बनाम दया/रहम) | Ex – Nirbhaya rape case. One of the culprits was a juvenile. Got only 3 year sentence (Juvenile Justice Act) Release of A.G. Perarivalan, a convict in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeing his satisfactory conduct in jail. | Rights Approach Every human being has the right to live with dignity |
Q4. आयुक्त, काॅलेश शिक्षा, राजस्थान, जयपुर की ओर से प्राचार्य, राजकीय कन्या महाविद्यालय नोखा, को सत्र 2017-18 में महाविद्यालय में संपन्न गतिविधियों की रिपोर्ट प्रेषित करने के लिए एक अनुस्मारक लिखिये [RAS Mains 2018]
