NOTE: Please remember that following ‘answers’ are NOT ‘model answers’. They are NOT synopsis too if we go by definition of the term. What we are providing is content that both meets demand of the question and at the same
General Studies – 1
Topic: Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu , Insights on India
Why the question:
Speaking in a village of Bidar district on March 26, Home Minister Amit Shah said that there was ‘hesitation’ on the part of the Telangana government to celebrate Hyderabad Liberation Day. The next day, the Telangana government’s social media team cited media reports to contest Mr. Shah’s claim. Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao said that the Telangana government had celebrated Telangana National Integration Day on September 17 last year.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the challenges in the integration of Hyderabad and how they were overcome.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context of India at independence.
Body:
First, write about the various challenges in the integration of the princely state of Hyderabad – Nizam’s desire to remain independent, communal clashes, Razakar attacks, lack of administrative structures etc.
In the next part, write about the various steps that were taken in this regard to integrate Hyderabad with India.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
With the enactment of Indian Independence Act, 1947, it declared the lapse of suzerainty (paramountcy) of the Crown. The Indian States regained their position which they had prior to the assumption of suzerainty by the Crown. The ‘iron man of India’, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was valued on one hand for being politically astute and on the other hand for his pragmatic acumen, necessary to bring together the more than 500 bits and pieces of royal territories into the fold of the Indian union.
Recently a new succession battle for the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, when there is no kingdom has intrigued people.
Body
The issue of the princely states was not an easy affair to resolve. Unsurprisingly, when the British announced their departure, most of the princes thought it to be the best moment to claim independent statehood. There were many others, who were caught in a tug of war between India and Pakistan.
Patel often invoked the patriotism of the princes in his attempt to convince them to join India. On other occasions he reminded them of the possibility of anarchy and on event of their refusal to join. He also introduced the concept of ‘privy purses’ as a payment to be made to the families of the princes for their agreement to integrate with India.
With great skill and masterful diplomacy & using both persuasion & pressure, Patel succeeded in integrating hundreds of princely states. Most princely states joined Constituent Assembly with wisdom but others like of Junagarh, Kashmir, Manipur and Hyderabad publicly announced their desire to claim an independent status.
How Sardar Patel tackled the Hyderabad challenge
- The Nizams ruled one of the largest kingdoms in India that spread over some 82,000 square miles or as big as Iceland and Cuba put together between 1724 and 1948.
- Nizam led to tyrannical ways & aspired to set up a Muslim dominion rather than integration with India
- He wanted an independent status for Hyderabad & thus entered into negotiation of standstill agreement with India
- Meanwhile people revolted against Nizam’s rule, particularly the peasants of Telangana due to his worst oppression measures.
- Nizam retaliated on popular movement by unleashing a para-military force
- 150,000 soldiers were mobilized by Nizam to fight against the Indian Union
- They murdered, maimed, raped and looted, targeting particularly the non-Muslims
- In Sep 1948, Indian army under operation Polo invaded Hyderabad state & overthrew its Nizam, annexing the state merged it into the Indian Union.
Sardar Patel had strong will and his decisiveness, taking tough decisions, and his undivided loyalty towards Mahatma Gandhi marks him out among his peers. His skillful combination of diplomatic persuasion of pointing to the larger long term interests of the population and also with a certain amount of arms twisting which made it clear that there would be a price to pay if the rulers did not accept the conditions the Indian government was putting.
Conclusion
Often referred to as the “Bismarck of India”, Patel was instrumental in bringing India together. Patel laid out the initial framework for persuading the princes to join, it was his secretary, V.P. Menon, who did the actual groundwork of coaxing them. The final touch in the process was applied by the Viceroy Lord Mountbatten.
Topic: Salient features of world’s physical geography.
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Indian Express , Insights on India
Why the question:
The article discusses the possibility of an El Nino event occurring in 2023 and its potential implications.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about El-Nino and also write in detail about its effects on India and need to prepare for its impact.
Directive word:
Analyse – When asked to analyse, you must examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them in a summary.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by writing a few introductory lines describing the El-Nino.
Body:
First, write about the mechanism of El-Nino – The role trade winds pushing warm water, difference in temperature across the equatorial pacific, circulation between east and west in the Pacific etc.
Next, write about impact of El-Nino of global climate and the impact of El-Nino on Indian monsoon – very dry weather on the western parts of India, crop failures and lower agricultural production etc.
Next, write about steps that must be taken in order to have better forecasting models to help predict the impact of El Nino on agriculture and the economy and other steps to mitigate its impact.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
El Niño is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is linked to a periodic warming in sea surface temperatures across the central and east-central Equatorial Pacific. El Niño is Spanish for “the boy child,” which is often used to refer to Jesus Christ, and the phenomenon earned this name because it typically occurs in December around Christmas. El Niño occurs every 2-7 years, and can last anywhere between nine months and two years.
Body
Mechanism
During El Niño, the trade winds weaken or even reverse: Instead of blowing from east (South America) to west (Indonesia), they could turn into westerlies. As the winds blow from the west to east, they cause the masses of warm water to move into the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The rise in SSTs there, thus, produces increased rainfall along western Latin America, the Caribbean and US Gulf Coast, while depriving Southeast Asia, Australia and India of convective currents.
El-Nino impact on Indian monsoon:
- El Nino, characterized by warming of surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean, is associated with lower than normal monsoon rainfall in India.
- El Nino has been found to impact almost half the world triggering droughtsin Australia, India, southern Africa and floods in Peru, Ecuador, the United States, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Colorado River basin.
- El Nino affects the flow of moisture-bearing windsfrom the cooler oceans towards India, negatively impact the summer (south-west) monsoon.
- After all, the south-west monsoon (June-September) accounts for over 70% of the country’s annual rainfall and irrigates over half of the crop land.
- The rain-fed kharif crops are heavily dependent on the monsoon and the quantity of rainfall determines agricultural production.
- El Niño years tend to be drier than average, but one of the strongest El Nino of the century (1997-98) produced a monsoon season with above-average rainfall for India.
- Researchers also believe that even the location of the warming in the Pacific may possibly have an influence on the monsoon.
Impact of the early arrival of Indian monsoon:
- The monsoon arrived earlier than normal in India, raising hopes that output of crops like rice and oilseeds will get a boost after a brutal heat wave hit winter-sown wheat and prompted the nation to restrict exports.
- India is the second-biggest grower of wheat, rice, sugar and cotton, and the largest buyer of palm, soybean and sunflower oils.
- The livelihood of millions of farmers in the country of about 1.4 billion people depends on rains brought by the winds from the Indian Ocean.
- The farm sector is the main source of income for 60% of its population and accounts for 18% of the economy.
- The monsoon is critical to India’s farm output and economic growth at a time when the country, where man-made systems like canals and tube wells irrigate only a part of the land, is battling soaring food prices.
- Timely and normal rains are set to boost production outlook for monsoon-sown crops such as rice, soybeans and pulses and help in softening soaring inflation.
- Bountiful rains would also fill reservoirs, which in turn would brighten prospects for winter crops, usually planted during October and November.
- The early arrival of the south-west monsoon comes at a time when parts of Northwest India were experiencing extremely high maximum temperatures.
Conclusion
Early or late arrival of monsoon does not mean it would bring lesser or more rainfall. Earlier this year, IMD predicted a “normal” monsoon. It means the rainfall is likely to be in the range of 96-104 per cent of the long period average of the years 1971-2020. A good monsoon boosts crop output, while poor rains lead to drinking water shortages, lower harvests and higher imports of some commodities.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
Any government-related content that is fact-checked as false or fake or misleading by the government’s fact-check unit must be taken down by all intermediaries, including social media platforms, as per the amended IT Rules, 2021.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about proposed IT Amendment Rules, 2023 and its potential to combat fake news and issues in them.
Directive word:
Critically examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we have to look into the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by giving context.
Body:
First, in brief, write about the various concerns associated with fake news and its implications.
Next, write about the major changes in the about proposed IT Amendment Rules, 2023 and its potential in dealing with the menace of fake news.
Next, write about the various issues in the above – infringe on the right to freedom of expression, suppression of dissenting voices and lack of objectivity.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward to overcome the above issues.
Introduction
Fake news and the spread of misinformation are a big threat to society and must be dealt with deftly. Amendment is proposed to the IT Act, to combat the same. The amendments now “make it obligatory on the intermediaries to not to publish, share or host fake, false or misleading information in respect of any business of the Central Government”.
Body
Changes being proposed
- The 2023 amendment confers power on MeitY to notify a fact check unit of the Central Government that will identify fake or false or misleading online content with respect to any business of the Central Government.
- Social media intermediaries (such as Facebook, and Twitter) and telecom service providers shall inform the user not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update, or share any information in respect of any business of the Central Government, that is identified as fake or false or misleading by such fact check unit.
- Violation of this rule can lead to the social media intermediaries losing their ‘safe harbour’ immunity.
Concerns with the new amendment
- Government’s Role as Regulating Entity: The fact-checking unit’s inclusion in the IT Amendment Rules raises concerns about the government’s role as a regulating entity.
- The government’s power to determine whether any information is “fake” or “false” could be misused to prevent questioning or scrutiny by media organizations.
- Misuse of Power: The power vested in the fact-checking unit could be misused to prevent free speech and expression.
- The government’s takedown notices issued for critical opinion or commentary on social media platforms can be seen as a way to suppress dissenting voices.
- Judicial Oversight: The government cannot sit on judgment without a right to appeal or judicial oversight.
- There is a need for a fair and impartial mechanism to ensure that the fact-checking unit’s powers are not misused.
- Threat to Free Speech and Expression: By threatening to remove a platform’s immunity for content that is flagged by a government unit, the Union government intends to create a “chilling effect” on the right to speech and expression on online platforms.
- This can have a significant impact on citizens’ right to access information and express their opinions freely.
- Contradictory with guidelines existing: Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000 elucidates the procedure to issue takedown orders, which these notified amendments could bypass.
- They also run afoul of Shreya Singhal vs Union of India (2015), a verdict with clear guidelines for blocking content.
- Any bypassing of existing guidelines could lead to censorship and restrictions on the freedom of speech and expression.
Consultations required
- The IT Amendment Rules, 2023 were notified by MeitY without any meaningful consultation that it had promised after it withdrew the earlier draft amendments it had put out in January 2023.
- The Press Information Bureau was given sweeping powers in the earlier draft amendments, which were criticized by media organizations across the country.
- The lack of consultation is concerning, and the government should conduct consultations with media organizations and press bodies before making any significant changes.
Measures needed to curb fake news
- The current response to fake news primarily revolves around three prongs— rebuttal, removal of the fake news item and educating the public.
- Rebuttal: It is a form of fact-checking wherein the fake news is debunked by pointing out errors like mismatch, malicious editing and misattribution.
- Removal of Fake news: Technical companies like Facebook and YouTube uses algorithms to proactively remove fake news from their platforms.
- Also, WhatsApp has put a limit on forwarding messages, so as to limit the spread to fake news.
- Education and Awareness: The government must take the initiative to make all sections of the population aware of the realities of this information war and evolve a consensus to fight this war. It must also take strict action against the fake news providers.
- Ex: Italy has experimentally added ‘recognizing fake news’ in school syllabus. India should also seriously emphasize cybersecurity, internet education, fake news education in the academic curriculum at all levels.
- Strict Regulation: News being spread using chatbots and other automated pieces of software should automatically be selected for special screening.
- Bring out policy: The government should bring out a draft seeking opinion from stakeholders regarding issues of controlling fake news. Any future guidelines on ‘fake news’ should target ‘fake news’ and not try to regulate media in the name of ‘fake news’.
- Regulatory mechanism: The PCI needs to be reformed and empowered in a way so as to enable it to strike a balance between the freedom of media and speech on the one hand, and right to know on the other.
- Government should have independent agency: to verify the data being circulated in social and other media. The agency should be tasked with presenting real facts and figures.
- An ombudsman Institution: To receive complaints on fake news and initiate immediate action.
- Accountability of social media: Social media websites should be made accountable of such activities so that it becomes their responsibility to have better control over the spread of fake news.
- Using Artificial Intelligence: The artificial intelligence technologies, particularly machine learning and natural language processing, might be leveraged to combat the fake news problem. AI technologies hold promise for significantly automating parts of the procedure human fact checkers use today to determine if a story is real or a hoax.
Conclusion
The government should reconsider the provisions in the IT Amendment Rules, 2023, and conduct meaningful consultations with all stakeholders to ensure that free speech and press freedom are not compromised.
Topic: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, Nano-technology, biotechnology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the applications and potential applications of nano technology in medicine.
Directive word:
Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you must debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You must give reasons for both for and against arguments.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by defining nano-technology and its various applications.
Body:
First, with examples, write about the areas in medicines where nano technology is being applied – Drug Delivery, Diagnostic Techniques, Antibacterial Treatments, Wound Treatment and Cell Repair etc.
Next, write about the potential treatments where the application of nano technology will revolutionise modern medicine.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising the scope of nano-technology modern medicine.
Introduction
Nanotechnology is the science of materials at the molecular or subatomic level. It involves manipulation of particles smaller than 100 nanometres (one nanometre is one-billionth of a metre) and the technology involves developing materials or devices within that size — invisible to the human eye and often many hundred times thinner than the width of human hair. The physics and chemistry of materials are radically different when reduced to the nanoscale; they have different strengths, conductivity and reactivity, and exploiting this could revolutionise medicine.
Body
The contributions of Nanotechnology in medicine:
- Diagnostics and screening:
- There is an urgent need in the developing world for better disease diagnosis, and nanotechnology offers a multitude of options for detecting disease.
- Example: Fluorescent quantum dots could improve malaria diagnosis by targeting the blood cell’s inner membrane.
- Similarly, carbon nanotubes, and other nanoparticles such as nanowires, have been used as biosensors to detect diseases such as HIV and cancer. Cancer biosensors can be made, for instance, by attaching nucleic acid probes to the ends of nanowires.
- Drug delivery:
- Nanotechnology could also revolutionise drug delivery by overcoming challenges such as how to sustain the release of drugs in the body and improving bioavailability — the amount of active ingredient per dose.
- Some drugs can now be delivered through ‘nanovehicles’.
- For example liposomes, which can deliver the drug payload by fusing with cell membranes, have been used to encapsulate HIV drugs such as stavudine and zidovudine in vehicles ranging from 120 to 200 nanometres in size.
- Nanocapsulesare pods that encapsulate drugs, which ensures the drugs are released more slowly and steadily in the body
- Nanopharmaceuticalsare rapidly emerging sub-branch that deals with the drug-loaded nanocarriers or nanomaterials that have unique physicochemical properties and minute size range for penetrating the Central Nervous system
- Nano-pharmaceuticals can be tailored with functional modalities to achieve active targeting to the brain tissues.
- The magic behind their therapeutic success is the reduced amount of dose and lesser toxicity, whereby localizing the therapeutic agent to the specific site.
- Health monitoring:
- Nanotubes and nanoparticles can be used as glucose, carbon dioxide and cholesterol sensors and for in-situ monitoring of homeostasis, the process by which the body maintains metabolic equilibrium.
- In developing nations, the use of nanotechnology is also being explored in the fight against infectious diseases such as HIV and TB.
- Nanoparticles could also be the basis for delivering an aerosol TB vaccine.
- Needle-free, and therefore not requiring trained personnel to administer it, the vaccine is stable at room temperatures — important in rural areas that lack a reliable cold chain.
- Vaccines:
- Nanotechnology could herald a new era in immunisation by providing alternatives to injectable vaccines for diseases that affect the poor.
- Injectable vaccines need to be administered by healthcare professionals, who may be scarce in developing countries, particularly in rural areas.
- Vaccines also need reliable refrigeration along the delivery chain. Scientists are working on an aerosol TB vaccine.
- They are also investigating a nanotechnology-based skin patch against West Nile Virus and Chikungunya virus.
- Tissue growth and regenerative medicine:
- Researches in tissue regenerative medicine aims in developing implants or scaffolds capable for delivering drugs, growth factors, hormones for tissue repair.
- They provide sustained delivery of bioactive molecules to support survival, infiltration and proliferation of cells for tissue engineering.
- The expected outcome of such treatment modality is to have complete tissue replacement and functional recovery.
Conclusion
Nanotechnology offers the ability to build large numbers of products that are incredibly powerful. Nanomedicines and nanodevices are in their early stages of development. The development processes are heavily intertwined with biotechnology and information technology, making its scope very wide. Nanotechnology based products are capable of overcoming the limitations of traditional methods. But, the major challenges are yet to prevail over its toxicity, environmental hazards, production cost and accessibility to the un-reachable at far-off areas.
General Studies – 3
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 3 and mentioned as part of Mission-2023 Secure timetable.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about IoT, its applications, concerns associated and ways to overcome those concerns.
Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by defining IoT.
Body:
First, write about the working of IoT in brief.
Next, write about the various applications of IoT – “smart home”, including devices and appliances (such as lighting fixtures, thermostats, home security systems, cameras, and other home appliances) that support one or more common ecosystems, and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers. IoT is also used in healthcare systems.
Next, write about the concerns related to Privacy and security of IoT and suggest ways to overcome them.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
The internet of things, or IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
According to a market research report published by Markets and Markets, the global IoT security market size is expected to grow from USD 8.2 billion in 2018 to USD 35.2 billion by 2023.
Body
Challenges posed
- In the digital age, privacy concerns have become increasingly important as personal information is being collected and stored on an unprecedented scale.
- Although encryption is a great way to prevent hackers from accessing data, it is also one of the leading IoT security challenges. These drives like the storage and processing capabilities that would be found on a traditional computer. The result is an increase in attacks where hackers can easily manipulate the algorithms that were designed for protection.
- IoT Malware and ransomware increases with increase in devices.
- Ransomware uses encryption to effectively lock out users from various devices and platforms and still use a user’s valuable data and info.
- Example – A hacker can hijack a computer camera and take pictures. By using malware access points, the hackers can demand ransom to unlock the device and return the data.
- Lack of standardization refers to the absence of agreed-upon specifications or protocols in a particular field or industry. This can result in different systems, products, or processes being incompatible with each other, leading to confusion, inefficiency, and decreased interoperability.
- Network attacks can result in data theft, loss of privacy, disruption of services, and financial loss.
- Unsecured data transmission can occur when data is transmitted over an unencrypted network connection or when insecure protocols are used.
- Software vulnerabilities can arise from errors or mistakes made during the development process, or from the use of outdated or unsupported software. Attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities to gain control over a system, install malware, or steal sensitive information.
Measures to tackle the concerns associated with IoT
- It is important to regularly update the software and implement strong security measures to ensure the security and privacy of sensitive information stored on these devices.
- This concern over data protection will need to be addressed and IoT manufacturers will have to build and sustain consumer trust in their devices.
- To address privacy concerns, individuals and organizations need to implement appropriate security measures to protect personal information, be transparent about how it is being used, and respect individuals’ rights to control their own information.
- Additionally, privacy laws and regulations have been established to provide guidelines and protections for individuals’ personal information.
- In this context, the Data Protection Bill is a step in the right direction.
- Establishing standards and protocols can help overcome this and ensure uniformity and compatibility.
- Around the world, legislators, device manufacturers, and law enforcement agencies should come together to figure out how to benefit from IoT while mitigating risks.
- In case the device collects or transmits personal data, such data should be securely stored.
- IoT developers should provide a dedicated public point of contact as part of a vulnerability disclosure policy.
- To reduce vulnerability to network attacks, it’s important to implement strong security measures such as firewalls, encryption, and regular software updates, as well as educate users on safe internet practices.
- To protect sensitive data during transmission, it is important to use secure protocols such as SSL/TLS or VPN, and to encrypt the data before sending it.
- To reduce the risk of software vulnerabilities, it is important for software developers to follow secure coding practices and for users to keep their software up-to-date and properly configured.
- Additionally, organizations and individuals should implement robust security measures, such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems, to protect against potential threats.
Conclusion
To insure the continued protection of an IoT system and maintain its trustworthiness, Risk Assessment, Intrusion Detection, Physical Security and Trust Management should be mandatory at all layers in IoT.
General Studies – 4
Topic: dimensions of ethics;
Difficulty level: Moderate.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Philosophical Mondays’ in Mission-2023 Secure.
Key Demand of the question:
To explain environmental ethics and how it has become an important dimension of ethics in the twenty first century.
Directive word:
Explain – Clarify the topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by describing the anthropocentric nature of the discourse of ethics. Only recently the focus has shifted to environmental ethics.
Body:
Mention the implications of neglect of the environment, varied cultural beliefs surrounding it, the western ideology that environment is for human disposal without regard to the future generations, concept of sustainable development, associating rights of environment to preservation etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by saying that environmental ethics is more relevant now than ever in the context of climate change.
Introduction
Environmental ethics is a branch of ethics that studies the relation of human beings and the environment and how ethics play a role in this. Environmental ethics believe that humans are a part of society as well as other living creatures, which includes plants and animals. These items are a very important part of the world and are considered to be a functional part of human life. Thus, it is essential that every human being respect and honour this and use morals and ethics when dealing with these creatures.
Body
Importance of environmental ethics in current times
- The main focus of Ethics has been human rights since time immemorial. However, with industrial revolution and increased globalization and burgeoning population, the negative externalities of growth and development are seen on the environment.
- Present human interference with the non-human world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.
- The recently released Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)reveals how human-caused emissions are altering our planet and what that means for our collective future.
- Global warming, global climate change, deforestation, pollution, resource degradation, threat of extinction of species are few of the issues from which our planet is suffering.
- New dynamic issues like Environmental Refugees and climate migrants has been on the rise across the planet.
- Thus, now it’s time to focus on the rights of the environment and its constituent beings other than humans.
- Environmental ethics, concerned with the issue of responsible personal conduct with respect to natural landscapes, resources, species, and non-human organisms. It is a cluster of beliefs, values and norms regarding how humans should interact with the environment.
How Environmental ethics helps in today’s times
- Strengthens Human-environment relationship:
- Environmental ethics focuses on questions concerning how we ought to inhabit the world; what constitutes a good life or a good society; and who, where, or what merits moral standing.
- Thus, it brings us closer and the help us understand the relationship and strengthens the relationship.
- Environmental Justice to all:
- People living in the economically-advanced sections/ parts use greater amount of resources and energy per individual and also waste more resources. This is at the cost of poor people who are resource-deprived.
- Likewise, there is a need for balance sharing of impacts of environmental degradation among different regions. For instance, island countries of tropical region share the most impacts of Climate Change while contributing least to it.
- Focuses on vulnerable sections:
- Consequences of environmental pollution do not respect national boundaries.
- Moreover, the poor and weaker sections of society are disproportionately affected by negative effects of climate change.
- Sustainable living and development:
- Environmental ethics helps provide better quality living to current generation
- It will help spread awareness among people and thus protect the environment and reminds us of the moral obligation to preserve environment for the future generations to come through regulated use of environment
- Focus on Biocentrism:
- Every entity that share the Earth with us have a right to live with dignity and share the Earth’s resources and living space. Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.
- Animal welfare is relevant to environmental ethics because animals exist within the natural environment and thus form part of environmentalists’ concerns.
- It sustains other species as well which is moral responsibility of one species i.e. humankind towards all others.
- Helps overcome Anthropocentric approach of development:
- Anthropocentrism refers to an ethical framework that grants “moral standing” solely to human beings.
- Thus, an anthropocentric ethic claims that only human beings are morally considerable in their own right, meaning that all the direct moral obligations we possess, including those we have with regard to the environment, are owed to our fellow human beings.
- To tackle global issues:
- Pandemics like Ebola, Zika, MERS, SARS etc. had alerted human species about the imbalance in relation between humans and Environment.
- Ignorance causing Covid-19 pandemic has almost stopped the world for human species and has nudged humans to introspect on their relationship with environment.
Human values needed for better environmental ethics:
Human actions and decision-making choice depend on human values. Strong values always help reduce the confusion. If these are coherent with the surrounding environment nature and wildlife, then it will certainly be helpful for sustainable development.
- Empathy: without empathy for all lives, there will always be selectiveness and selfishness among humans towards different lives. Value of Nurturing and protecting biodiversity. Making way for flora and fauna to co-exist with us.
- Love: love transcends only human-human interaction. It’s also between other lives and nature’s beauty.
- Sustainable development: Saving resources for future generation .That is to stop over exploitation of resources specially exhaustible and non-renewable resources.
- Control over mining, deforestation in the name of “development”
- Minimalistic living: Sacrificing certain comforts for protecting environment. Example- reduction in use of polluting vehicles for good of all, carpooling, using public transport.
Conclusion
We must realize the biggest value that Earth belongs not only to humans but to other biodiversity too. Further, protecting this environment for future generation becomes our responsibility as part of environmental ethics.
Topic: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions
Difficulty level: Tough
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Philosophical Mondays’ in Mission-2023 Secure.
Key Demand of the question:
To write in detail about the determinants of Morality of human action.
Directive word:
Examine – When asked to ‘Examine’, we must investigate the topic (content words) in detail, inspect it, investigate it and establish the key facts and issues related to the topic in question. While doing so we should explain why these facts and issues are important and their implications.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by saying that Human action is not at free will but determined by various factors.
Body:
Describe how morality of a person’s action varies situationally. Mention various determinants such as object, circumstances such as person/place/time involved and intention(malafide/bonafide) with an example each. Cite ethical thinkers to substantiate.
Use a flow chart for better presentation of the above.
Conclusion:
Conclude by saying that there are many obstacles that a person with a fixed moral construct must go through, which may change his action altogether.
Introduction
A human act is one that proceeds from knowledge and free will. If either adequate knowledge or freedom is lacking in the act of a person, then that act is not fully human and therefore, not fully moral.
There are a variety of possible moralities or moral frames of reference, and whether something is morally right or wrong, good or bad, just or unjust, etc. is a relative matter—relative to one or another morality or moral frame of reference. Something can be morally right relative to one moral frame of reference and morally wrong relative to another.
Body
Determinants of judging an action
- Nature of the action: Ethicality depends upon the fundamental nature of action itself. For instance, murder is an unethical act in itself and it cannot be justified by any intention or under any circumstances. On the other hand, acts like polluting the environmentare unethical but it can be justified if its within ecological limits and used for good purpose like rural electrification.
- Intention: Intention behind an action must be ethical and only then, the action can be possible ethical. If intention is wrong, no action can be ethical even if the action is good in itself. For instance, charitydone for vested interests by unscrupulous NGOs is unethical even if its charity. On the other hand, breaking a traffic rulecan be ethical if a policeman does it to catch a criminal.
- Circumstances: Ethics is dynamic and hence, sometimes circumstances decide whether an action is ethical or not. For instance, democracyand citizen-centric governance is ethical governance but during times of war, martial lawcan be ethically justified and hence, provided under the Indian Constitution. We consider breaking of traffic rules as highly unethical but if you are taking a sick person to hospital, then the golden hour must not be missed and one cannot comply with traffic rules when a life is at stake.
Conclusion
To be ethically good, a human act must agree with the norm of morality on all three counts; in its nature, its motive, and its circumstances. Departure from any of these makes the action morally wrong.
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