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UPSC Essentials | Expert talk — ‘Don’t be afraid of Essays on philosophical quotes’: DU Philosophy Prof

With UPSC Mains 2023 just a few days away, you might be still worried about your strategies for tackling the philosophical quotes based essays. UPSC Essentials interviews Professor Pratibha Sharma to understand what is a 'good' philosophical essay.

In the past few years, the Essay paper of UPSC CSE has started focussing completely on philosophical quotes."I am not surprised that UPSC has started giving more weightage to philosophical quotes in essays. Philosophy is important in every aspect of life", says Prof Pratibha Sharma of Miranda House.
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There is a pleasure in philosophy which every aspirant feels, until it appears as an unavoidable component of the UPSC CSE Essay paper. Is it so? In the past few years, the Essay paper of UPSC CSE has started focussing completely on philosophical quotes. This shift in trend has become a big challenge for aspirants in their UPSC journey. Manas Srivastava talks to Prof. Pratibha Sharma of Miranda House who weighs in on many fears of aspirants regarding philosophical quotes that aspirants may find relevant to kick start their Essay preparation.

About our Expert: Professor Pratibha Sharma teaches philosophy in Miranda House (Delhi University), and is currently the Teacher-in-Charge of the Philosophy department.

Dear future bureaucrats don’t be afraid of philosophy.

Manas: In the past few years, UPSC has started asking Essay topics on Philosophical quotes. Many aspirants do not study Philosophy as a subject before UPSC preparation. This makes the Essay paper challenging for them. What would you say about this ‘fear’ of philosophical quotes among aspirants?

Prof. Pratibha Sharma: Let’s begin by understanding that the great philosophers whose quotes you encounter in your question papers come from different disciplines themselves. Descartes, Leibniz and Whitehead were mathematicians. Plato was a polymath. Students of political science must have read about John Rawls. Similarly, B.G. Tilak, Rabindranath Tagore, Madan Mohan Malviya, Mahatma Gandhi, and many others were not philosophy students in particular. Their thoughts, words, and lives became important for philosophy and hence they are known as great philosophers. So, to say that one has to be an academic philosopher to understand philosophical quotes is not true.

Don’t be afraid of philosophy and philosophical quotes. Philosophers are not strangers to you. In fact, everyone is a philosopher from within. Try to awaken that philosopher within you.

Also, I am not surprised that UPSC has started giving more weightage to philosophical quotes in essays. Philosophy is important in every aspect of life. You must have noticed that every institution has an ethics committee nowadays. Philosophy is the basis for Ethics. Even UPSC has introduced a paper on Ethics as its compulsory paper in the mains examination. This speaks volumes of the relevance of philosophy in not only your exams but also in life in general.

JUST FYI: The essay paper is a compulsory paper in UPSC CSE (Main) Examination and plays a crucial part in the selection process. It is divided into two sections, each consisting of four topics. Candidates are required to write two essays in three hours of time. The essays carry a total of 250 marks (125 each). The word limit for each essay is 1000- 1200 words. The syllabus of essay paper is not well defined by UPSC in comparison to other GS papers. 

Manas: One assumes that many philosophy teachers must be evaluating Essay papers with questions on Philosophical quotes. If you had to evaluate Essays for UPSC exams, what would have been your parameters for evaluation or what is a ‘good’ essay according to you?

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Prof. Pratibha Sharma: Firstly, an examiner knows that aspirants are not necessarily from a philosophical background. So, that clarity is there in the mind of the examiner. Having said that, a good essay may have the following elements:

1. Better understanding of the quote

2. Proper elaboration of quotes based on ideology, thinkers, and examples

3. Right language and expressions

4. Multidimensional approach

5. Linked to contemporary times- making it more relevant

Regarding all these points, I must mention that one who aspires to be an IAS officer should have some basic skills in writing and expressing their views. One doesn’t need to use difficult words but the right expressions.

Manas: The point where you mentioned thinkers and ideology brings us to a question of sources. Does it mean that aspirants should start reading several philosophy books for Essays? If yes, which ones?

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Prof. Pratibha Sharma: No, reading too many books on Philosophy for a few months or a year won’t help. This is knowledge that is acquired over some time. I will suggest they make wise use of the Internet and become aware of some important ideologies, quotes, and thinkers. They will find them relevant in Ethics paper too which is very much connected to philosophy.

However, if anyone wants to read a book I suggest they take any ‘Introduction to Philosophy’ which covers all major themes.

Manas: You have also mentioned the ‘Multidimensional approach’ in an Essay. What do you mean by that?

Prof. Pratibha Sharma: Students must understand an important aspect of multidimensional approach. In ancient times there used to be no real distinction between various subjects. People believed that nothing could be studied in isolation. This was called multidisciplinary approach which nowadays, in academics, is called interdisciplinarity. Specifically about Philosophy, we should know that it teaches us not to be judgmental. This means that one must be aware of various options, perspectives and points of view, theories, etc. For example, democracy is just one form of government. One needs to be aware of other forms of government to conclude that which is the best form of government. If one is partial, he or she is not tolerant. That is neither good for your essay paper nor as a citizen and a human being.

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Manas: Interestingly, you mentioned linking the quote to contemporary times. Can you please elaborate?

Prof. Pratibha Sharma: Most of the quotes are from thinkers. These thinkers are ‘eternal thinkers’. Their words are relevant even today. Therefore, students should remember this aspect in their essays too. These quotes may be rooted in some time and space but linking them to contemporary times may make essays more relevant.

Manas: Are there any ‘boundaries’ for essays based on philosophical quotes as they seem open-ended?

Prof. Pratibha Sharma: Regarding limitations, I would like to mention that data is not so important in such essays. Students, for example, can refer to ‘changing trends’ but don’t write like a social scientist. One may refer to theories while answering, for example, a question on happiness. But do not be judgmental. Essays should not have a partial approach; try to show multiple perspectives and not stick to one stand. Sometimes students aren’t very good with the ideas of thinkers. They should know at least some important ones and can write good examples to support their points.

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Manas: Why should future bureaucrats and administrators have some sense of Philosophy?

Prof. Pratibha Sharma: Let’s answer this question in the language of Philosophy itself. Plato talked about the ‘Philosopher King’ in The Republic. According to this idea, the best form of government is that in which philosophers rule. In present times, a philosopher is an articulated person who has a better understanding of diverse issues and he is not judgemental. These are two qualities that are required in an able administrator. Therefore, not only attempt to study Philosophy but also imbibe it. Philosophy helps to analyse issues from different perspectives before coming to a conclusion. Critical thinking, logical reasoning, and ethics, all are part of Philosophy. Isn’t it a part of the job of an administrator working in the field to apply all of these?

I believe students should know about one such personality who was known as the Indian Philosopher King (especially in the Philosophy circle) and went on to become the President of India — Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. His contribution to our country is immense. Students must read about him. They will get an answer to the above question.

Manas: You are a Philosophy teacher. I am sure you must have a favourite quote that you think is very important to your life…

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Prof. Pratibha Sharma: One philosophical quote that is very close to my heart is:

I know that I don’t know ~ Socrates

One is wise because at least he or she knows what he or she doesn’t know. At least, I recognise my ignorance. As I recognise my ignorance, I will like to learn and know more. There is an element of ‘inquisitiveness’.

Manas: I think your favourite quote can be a good point to ponder for aspirants. UPSC aspirants must try as a sample essay question.

(Answer in the comment box or through your email)

Share your views, answers and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com

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Manas Srivastava leads the UPSC Essentials section of The Indian Express (digital). He majorly writes on UPSC, other competitive exams and education-related projects. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than five years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called ‘Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik’ and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called ‘LIVE with Manas’.His talks on ‘How to read a newspaper’ focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also the editor of UPSC Essentials' monthly magazine for the aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women’s Studies by the Women’s Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on ‘Psychological stress among students’ at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More

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