UPSC Ethics Simplified | Three Ethical Principles — the concept

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The world offers complex situations and ethics helps us to deal with those situations in a most desired manner. Three different philosophical approaches to ethics can help people to make a sound, ethical decision. Let’s know what ethical principles from western world teach us.

Relevance: The topic is a part of UPSC CSE General Studies Paper-IV Ethics Syllabus. Aspirants will find the article useful for their Essay paper too. Moreover, the essence of the article will help aspirants in their professional lives or in life in general.

Nanditesh Nilay writes for UPSC Ethics Simplified fortnightly on Sundays. The first article is a concept while the second article is a caselet based on the concept. Don’t miss the point to ponder and Express Input below.

Why are ethical principles a must for bureaucrats?

Governance is nothing but decision making, and in a democratic country like India, bureaucrats are the fulcrum of governance. They execute decisions and a lot of times are required to go with the ethical decision making process as guided by moral awareness, moral motivation, moral judgment, and moral action. In this process, their administrative ethics are guided by the principles of ethics for prudent as well as moral decision-making. It is equally important to understand that those policies (especially public policies) and one of the basic principle of democracy is to realise the spirit of an individual as a source of political power. So, policy formulation and decision making always affect the last person and the people had to live with those effects. So moral reasoning in decision making is the spirit of civil service. Here ethical principles assist in guiding for those desired ends where everyone’s voice is believed to be heard and with consciousness.

In the Indian context, and particularly in a developing nation, bureaucrats influence and impact the last person through the execution of the government’s policies and they are highly empowered too. The role of ethics emerges as a kindle of trust between the executive and the voice of democracy. Aspirants should note that the whole objective of the ethics paper is to equip bureaucrats with a rational understanding of administrative ethics. That kind of ethics
removes the ignorance of the rule of law and the inability to handle ethical dilemmas. Here, ethical principles help a bureaucrat improve the decision making ability without deviating from that moral compass.

How are schools of ethics categorised?

Before going on to ethical principles it is better to understand ethics in terms of its applied character. Ethics are generally categorized into two categories — Normative and Descriptive.

Normative ethics is a preferred or idealistic approach to decision-making when there are certain standards present to define and decide the righteousness and wrongness of any act.

On the other hand, Descriptive Ethics is that kind of ethics when one tries to understand people’s moral beliefs through empirical investigation. It is like understanding those practical aspects of any ethical investigation or moral consideration.

These two aspects of ethics shape an individual’s character, which in turn governs one’s actions or behavior. That normative and applied ethics prepares a bureaucrat to treat ethics as a guiding force in taking an ethical decision in a state of dilemmas.

How Western philosophy guides us to ethics?

As far Ethics is concerned, it has been referred to by three eminent schools in Western philosophy. The first school of thought was led by Aristotle who holds that virtues are those values or dispositions which benefit the possessor, as well as the community at large. Aspirants should make a note that the whole concept of civil service advocates the same as it deals with virtues of justice, probity, trust, and so on. Here, one should not confuse between values and
virtues. What we value is expressed through virtues. For example, the values of Justice can be practiced through just behaviour.

The second school of thought is led by Immanuel Kant, which makes the concept of duty central to morality. Here, human beings are bound from a knowledge of their duty as rational beings, and to obey the categorical imperative to respect other rational beings with whom they interact. The moral act or duty in itself is the guiding force of ethical decision-making without thinking too much about the results of the act. Kant believed that man should not be treated as a mean for achieving desired ends.

The third is the Utilitarian viewpoint which asserts that the guiding principle of conduct should be the greatest happiness (or benefit) of the greatest number. The theory of Utilitarianism is based on the ideas of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. It takes the perspective of the costs and benefits of ethical choices. According to it, any decision must be evaluated from the perspective of how much good or harm it causes and should consider the effects on all parties. In other words, the “Greatest good for the greatest numbers”. It means to promote the idea of a welfare state and thus promote the welfare of all persons by minimizing harm and maximizing benefits.

EXPRESS INPUT

Point to ponder:

In Ethics no school satisfies all the problems raised by a situation. In most situations, all three schools need to be taken into account in order to reach the best possible decision. Do you agree?

Ethical Tidbit: Three ethical hats 

While wearing Aristotle’s hat, ask yourself: How should I live my life? What kind of human being do I desire to become? What virtues bring me closer to my aim of becoming ‘good’ human being? Which immoral act stops me from becoming ethical? Is my behaviour consistent with being an ethical and moral person that I desire to be?

While wearing Immanuel Kant’s hat, ask yourself: Is my behaviour right? What are my ethical principles guiding me to do? How does wisdom and reason ask me to treat others? What are my duties and how should I decide between dilemma and conflicting duties? Are my reasons consistent and logical?

While wearing Jeremy Bentham’s and John Stuart Mill’s hat, ask yourself: Is my behaviour Good? How is it going to have impact on the world? Is my behaviour going to do more good or harm? Will my actions benefit the world as a better society? Are my actions aimed at the greatest good for the greatest number of people?

— Edited by Manas Srivastava

The writer is the author of ‘Being Good and Aaiye, Insaan Banaen’. He teaches courses on and offers training in ethics, values and behaviour. He has been the expert/consultant to UPSC, SAARC countries, Civil services Academy, National Centre for Good Governance, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Competition Commission of India (CCI), etc. He has PhD in two disciplines and has been a Doctoral Fellow in Gandhian Studies from ICSSR. His second PhD is from IIT Delhi on Ethical Decision Making among Indian Bureaucrats. He writes for the UPSC Ethics Simplified (Concepts and Caselets) fortnightly.

Do not miss The Caselet on Ethical Principles by Nanditesh Nilay in UPSC Ethics Simplified on April 30.

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