Significance and Role of Ethics
The rationale for introducing an Ethics and Attitude paper in the UPSC Syllabus was to measure a candidate's ethical competence rather than his/her knowledge of the subject matter of ethics.
Here are some key points on the importance of ethics and their impact on morally desirable human actions:
- Ethics, as a discipline, identifies what is good and evil, right and wrong, and helps us understand our moral duties.
- It encompasses the study of universal values such as essential human qualities, human or natural rights, and concern for health, safety, and the natural environment.
- Ethics is not a law, but a code of conduct that can make one feel guilty for any unethical action.
- Another advantage of ethics is that it inspires rule-following. A group of ethical people can foster a better society and environment.
- Being ethical helps a person achieve what is best for them as everyone desires to be ethically good.
- Many moral dilemmas can be resolved through ethical thinking. If a person's principles and morals are correct, it can contribute to solving a moral dilemma.
- Ethics are not just for public interactions but also for personal relationships. It enables a person to understand how to act responsibly.
In summary, Ethics is universal, transcending various cultural, religious and social diversities. For the civil services exam, it is included in the General Studies paper, and candidates can get the detailed syllabus for the same at the UPSC Mains GS-IV Strategy, Syllabus & Structure page.
Factors Influencing Ethics
Humans have the unique ability to think, acquire knowledge, reason, make decisions, reflect, and act. It is these ethical aspects that come to the fore when dealing with human actions in society. There are specific factors that influence how a human being acts. These are discussed below:
Barriers to Ethical Human Actions
While every human action should ideally be for the good, there are factors that lead to the voluntary neglect of ethical action. These are known as impediments. Some common impediments to conscious human action include ignorance, anger, violence, and passion.
Candidates preparing for the civil services exam should carefully analyze all the topics included in the Ethics and Attitude syllabus for the UPSC Mains examination. This section can be a high scoring area if candidates provide well-articulated theoretical answers.
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