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: Social empowerment
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Live Mint
Why the question:
The article discusses the challenges faced by the transgender community in India and proposes solutions for their inclusion.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the problems associated with transgender persons in India and the legal measure available to tackle these issues.
Directive:
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:
Begin by giving context.
Body:
First, in detail, write about the problems faced by transgender – Identity crisis, discrimination, Social Problems, unemployment etc.
Next, write about the rights are given to transgender under Indian law, talk about the Rights of Transgender Persons Bill, 2016, talk about the National Council for Transgender Persons etc.
Next, write about the further measures that are required.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
According to World Health Organization, Transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and expression does not conform to the norms and expectations traditionally associated with the sex assigned to them at birth. They are referred to as transsexuals if they desire medical assistance in order to make the transition from one biological sex to another.
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has constituted the National Council for Transgender Persons, a requirement under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
Body
Problems and challenges faced by transgender community
- Discrimination: Transgender population remains one of the most marginalized groups. Sexuality or gender identity often makes transgender a victim of stigmatization and exclusion by the society
- Ostracization: Transgender individuals are often ostracized by society and sometimes, even their own families view them as burdens and exclude them.
- Poverty: In many cases, this lack of legal protection translates into unemployment for transgender people
- Education: Transgender people are unable to access equal educational opportunities because of harassment, discrimination and even violence. Most transgender children are forced to drop out of schools as Indian schools remain unequipped to handle children with alternative sexual identities
- Health: Transgenders frequently experience discrimination when accessing health care, from disrespect and harassment to violence and outright denial of service. The community remains highly vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV AIDS. According to a recent UNAIDS report, the HIV prevalence among transgenders in India is 3.1% (2017).
- Mental health issues include depression and suicidal tendencies, and violence-related stress
- Employment: They are economically marginalised and forced into professions like prostitution and begging for livelihood or resorting to exploitative entertainment industry.
- Access to Public spaces and shelter: Transgenders face direct discrimination and denial while accessing houses or apartments. Further, they also face problems due to lack of provision of gender neutral/separate transgender toilets and discrimination in accessing public toilets
- Civil Status: Possessing accurate and consistent identification documents has always been challenging for the transgender community.
- Gender-based violence: Transgenders are often subjected to sexual abuse, rape and exploitation.
Background
In 2014, the Supreme Court issued a sweeping judgment inNALSA v. India, which held that transgender people should be legally recognised according to their gender identity, enjoy all fundamental rights, and receive special benefits in education and employment. This must be implemented and enforced.
Measures required to to ensure rights and well-being of transgender community
- A multi-prolonged approach with focus on public awareness campaigns is needed to eliminate the social stigma associated with the transgender
- Eg: Recently 13 members of the transgender community have been selected as constables under the Chhattisgarh police. This is truly historic and thrilling for a community that had no legal recognition till the Supreme Court in NALSA vs. Union of India (2014) ruled that transgender persons have the right to decide their self-identified gender.
- Large scale sensitization needs to happen starting from the school level to accept the transgender community integral component of societal life.
- Transgenders’ induction into the police force is a vital message to people that they are as physically and mentally competent as others.
- Legal and the law enforcement systems need to be empowered and sensitized on the issues of Transgender community.
- Stringent criminal and disciplinary action must be taken against the people who commits violence against Transgender.
- The establishment of National Council for Transgender Persons which seeks to increase awareness and inculcate sense of respect and acceptance for transgender community, is a welcome step.
- Transgender Persons Act, 2019: The Act states that a transgender person shall have the right to self-perceived gender identity. The Act prohibits discrimination against a transgender person in various sectors such as education, employment, and healthcare etc. It will give much needed legal protection to the transgenders.
Conclusion
The queer and gender non-conforming people have found an ally in the court, but they would need greater effort on the part of the authorities at various levels, if their rights are to be protected. In any case, any change in law in terms of recognising same-sex relations or understanding self-identification of gender must be complemented by an attitudinal change in society at large.
Government must sensitise the general public and officials, to reduce and finally eliminate the stigma associated with LGBTQ+ community through the mass media and the official channels. School and university students too should be sensitised about the diversity of sexuality to deconstruct the myth of heteronormativity. Heteronormativity is the root cause of hetero-sexism and homophobia.
Topic: Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: Indian Express
Why the question:
The article discusses India’s civilizational legacy and its potential for realizing its ideals and destiny.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about diversity in India and challenges associated with it.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by mentioning how India is a culturally diverse since time immemorial.
Body:
In the first, in detail write about the various aspects of diversity – linguistic, religious, ethnic, racial, caste etc. Write how these have shaped India.
Next, write about the various types of challenges associate with diversity in India and cite examples to substantiate.
Next, write about the ways to counter these challenges and uphold pluralism in the country.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
India is a plural society both in letter and spirit. It is rightly characterized by its unity and diversity. A grand synthesis of cultures, religions and languages of the people belonging to different castes and communities has upheld its unity and cohesiveness despite multiple foreign invasions.
National unity and integrity have been maintained even through sharp economic and social inequalities have obstructed the emergence of egalitarian social relations. It is this synthesis which has made India a unique mosque of cultures. Thus, India presents seemingly multicultural situation within in the framework of a single integrated cultural whole.
Body
Background: India’s diversity
- India today is home to varied cultures and ethnic groupswith substantial differences in physical appearance, language, religion and customs.
- India also has vast economic differences between regions and its richest state is 10x more prosperous (on a per capita basis) than its poorest, with high-growth states and large metros at middle-income level resembling coastal China, and others more closely resembling Sub-Saharan Africa, with incomes under US$1,000 per capita.
- It is said that geography is destiny, and if this is true, then India’s land itself is a key determinant of the diversity of its peoples, varying from desert to savannah and rain forests, from the roof of the world to coastal swamps and tropical islands. This geography, coupled with major urban centres and valleys of technology clusters, shapes its inhabitants daily lives and therefore their culture and beliefs.
- While ethnicity and religion form a core of each Indian’s identity, those identities themselves can vary widely depending on backgrounds, regions and socio-economic levels. Even within religions, there can be significant differences in how this is practiced and therefore how identity is defined.
Challenges with India’s diversity
- Regionalism: Regionalism tends to highlight interests of a particular region/regions over national interests. It can also adversely impact national integration. Law and order situation is hampered due to regional demands and ensuing
- Divisive politics: Sometimes, ascriptive identities such as caste, religion etc. are evoked by politicians in order to garner This type of divisive politics can result in violence, feeling of mistrust and suspicion among minorities.
- Development imbalance: Uneven pattern of socio-economic development, inadequate economic policies and consequent economic disparities can lead to backwardness of a region. Consequently, this can result in violence, kickstart waves of migration and even accelerate demands of separatism.. For instance, due to economic backwardness of the North East region, several instances of separatist demands and secessionist tendencies have sprung up in the
- Ethnic differentiation and nativism: Ethnic differentiation has often led to clashes between different ethnic groups especially due to factors such as job competition, limited resources, threat to identity E.g. frequent clashes between Bodos and Bengali speaking Muslims in Assam. This has been accentuated by son of the soil doctrine, which ties people to their place of birth and confers some benefits, rights, roles and responsibilities on them, which may not apply to others.
- Geographical isolation: Geographical isolation too can lead to identity issues and separatist The North-East is geographically isolated from the rest of the country as it is connected with the rest of the country by a narrow corridor i.e the Siliguri corridor (Chicken’s neck). The region has inadequate infrastructure, is more backward economically as compared to the rest of the country. As a result, ithas witnessed several instances of separatism and cross-border terrorism, among others.
- Inter-religious conflicts: Inter-religious conflicts not only hamper relations between two communities by spreading fear and mistrust but also hinder the secular fabric of the country.
- Inter-state conflicts: This can lead emergence of feelings related to regionalism. It can also affect trade and communications between conflicting states. For instance, Cauvery River dispute between Karnataka and Tamil
- Influence of external factors: Sometimes external factors such as foreign organizations terrorist groups, extremist groups can incite violence and sow feelings of separatism. g. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been accused of supporting and training mujahideen to fight in Jammu and Kashmir and sow separatist tendencies among resident groups.
Success as a republic
- Constitutional identity: The entire country is governed by one single Even, most of the states follow a generalised scheme of 3-tier government structure, thus imparting uniformity in national governance framework. Further, the Constitution guarantees certain fundamental rights to all citizens regardless of their age, gender, class, caste, religion, etc.
- Religious co-existence: Religion tolerance is the unique feature of religions in India due to which multiple religions co-exist in Freedom of religion and religious practice is guaranteed by the Constitution itself. Moreover, there is no state religion and all religions are given equal preference by the state.
- Inter-State mobility: The Constitution guarantees freedom to move throughout the territory of India under Article 19 (1) (d), thus promoting a sense of unity and brotherhood among the
- Other factors such as uniform pattern of law, penal code, and administrative works (eg. All India services) too lead to uniformity in the criminal justice system, policy implementation
- Economic integration: The Constitution of India secures the freedom of Trade, Commerce and Intercourse within the Territory of India under Article Further, the Goods and Service Tax (GST) have paved way for ‘one country, one tax, one national market’, thus facilitating unity among different regions.
- Institution of pilgrimage and religious practices: In India, religion and spirituality have great significance. . From Badrinath and Kedarnath in the north to Rameshwaram in the south, Jagannath Puri in the east to Dwaraka in the west the religious shrines and holy rivers are spread throughout the length and breadth of the Closely related to them is the age-old culture of pilgrimage, which has always moved people to various parts of the country and fostered in them a sense of geo-cultural unity.
- Fairs and festivals: They also act as integrating factors as people from all parts of the country celebrate them as per their own local Eg. Diwali is celebrated throughout by Hindus in the country, similarly Id and Christmas are celebrated by Muslims and Christians, respectively. Celebration of inter-religious festivals is also seen in India.
- Climatic integration via monsoon: The flora and fauna in the entire Indian subcontinent, agricultural practices, life of people, including their festivities revolve around the monsoon season in
- Sports and Cinema: These are followed by millions in the country, thus, acting as a binding force across the length and breadth of the country
Conclusion
This diversity and the pluralism it fosters have been a key strength for India, creating a vibrant and dynamic society that is open to new ideas, and quick to adopt and adapt innovations regardless of their origin, as well as creating a strong democratic polity with checks and balances on its leadership. If properly leveraged, India’s diversity is a fundamental strategic asset for the country’s development and standing in the world.
General Studies – 2
Topic: Role of civil services in a democracy.
Difficulty level: Easy
Reference: Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the roles played by civil services in the modern government and its role in making policies which are public centric.
Directive:
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 mentioning the role of civil services in the modern day.
Body:
First, in detail, write about the roles performed by the civil services which makes it the engine room of modern government – basis of government, policy making & implementation, services to people, continuity in administration etc.
Next, write about the role of civil services in people centric policies. Substantiate with examples.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
The role of Civil Servants across the domains of policy making and policy implementation is critical to the development process. They assist in identifying major policy areas such as preparing major policy proposals, analysing various alternatives and solutions to societal problems requiring urgent attention, dividing the major policies into sub-policies, determining program of action and suggesting modification in the existing policy on the basis of its experience on the implementation front.
Body
Civil service as engine room of modern government
- They engage in collection of relevant data and informationin order to identify core issues. The type of information required, the extent of substance in the information so collected and assimilation of the information is the task of the Civil Servants.
- They then assist the government in terms of providing relevant data for substantiating policy proposals.
- Owing to their enormous administrative expertise and capability of the civil services, they are privy to various problems and issues facing the country.
- Their knowledge and experience so acquired is then put to use byassuming the role of the ‘think-tank’ of the government.
- The Civil Servants assist the political executive in identifying policy issuesby suggesting the nature of problems and the need for taking them up for consideration at higher levels.
- The civil service engages itself in examining the issue taken up for policy formulation, it frames and reframes policy proposals keeping in view its viability, future prospects, resources available, acceptability, etc.
- It is also the responsibility of the civil services to analyze policy proposals in relation to the provisions of the Constitution, the laws framed by the Parliament, and other existing rules and regulations.
- In this way the civil services help in framing sound and effective policies.
- Civil servants are responsible for implementing the laws and policies of government. By carrying out laws, it regulates the behaviour of the people in society.
- The ideals and objectives of government may be very popular, the plans for national development may be extremely progressive and the resources of the country may be abundant, but without civil services, not much can be achieved.
- An efficient civil service canavoid waste, correct errors, limit the consequences of incompetence or irresponsibilitywhile implementing laws and public policies
Various roles and responsibilities
- Setting right developmental goals and priorities in areas of education, health, communications etc. Formulation and implementation of strategies and programmes for the development and modernisation of the nation. E.g., Formulation of plans at district, state and national levels.
- Creation of new administrative organisations and improving the capacity of the existing ones for the developmental purposes.
- To develop agriculture, civil servants have to properly manage community resourcessuch as land, water resources, forests, wetlands and wasteland development. E.g. the District Collector of Dewas, Umakant Umrao helped the farmers in Madhya Pradesh to fight against drought by constructing over 16,000 ponds.
- To facilitate industrial development,infrastructural facilities such as roads, electricity, communications, market centres etc. have to be provided. In these countries, the civil service manages government owned business, industrial enterprises and public utility services. IAS officer Ritu Maheshwari, installed new electricity smart meters to tackle the prevalent electricity theft in Kanpur.
- Development and mobilisation of natural, human and financial resources and their proper utilization for accomplishing developmental objectives. P Narahari, as district collector in Madhya Pradesh, worked towards building a barrier-free environment that ensures that people with disabilities can move about safely and independently.
- Securing the support of the people for developmental activities by involving them in the process of development by creating appropriate attitude towards the socio-economic changes that are taking place in society. IAS Officer,Smita Sabharwal, popularly known as ‘the people’s officer’, launched a campaign called “Fund Your City” in Warangal. She appealed to residents to help her build the infrastructure of Naxal-affected areas, which resulted in the construction of traffic junctions and foot over-bridges.
Conclusion
The citizen has become the focal point of the administrative and development discourse. As one of the foremost agents of governance, the Civil Services form the connecting bridge between state and the society. This interface is critical to both administration of programs and acquiring inputs as feedback.
This gains currency especially since policy areas are interlinked in multiple ways and citizen has become the core focus. Most government programs are today managed by the civil services and allow citizens access to quick and personalized grievance redressal mechanisms. Hence, they assume importance particularly in terms of eliminating the gulf between expectations of the electorate and the outcomes of government initiatives.
Topic: Role of civil services in a democracy.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: Insights on India ,Insights on India
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 2.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the issue of frequent transfers of civil servants and if fixed tenure can lead to good governance.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by giving context.
Body:
First, write about the drawbacks and impact associated with the frequent transfer of civil servants.
Next, write about the advantages of having a fixed tenure of the civil servants in a particular posting – continuity, impartial decision making, insulation from pressure, increased efficiency etc.
Next, write about the disadvantages of having a fixed tenure of the civil servants – complacency, shrinking accountability etc.
Conclusion:
Conclude by starting your opinion on the above issue and way forward to achieve continuity.
Introduction
An analysis of the executive record (ER) sheets of thousands of IAS officers reveals that the frequent transfers in service are normal. But, frequent transfers have an adverse impact on their morale. This will lead to a decline in productivity and efficacy. Eg: IAS Ashok Khemka has been transferred more than 50 times. Pradeep Kasni has been transferred 65 times.
Body
Frequent transfer of civil servant: Background
- The Civil Services Survey reportnoted: frequent transfers has been a concern for most respondents as it adversely affected job satisfaction, children’s education, and family togetherness and placed officers at the mercy of corrupt influences.
- A Central government database on transfers of Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers who sit atop the bureaucracy in the Centre and in states shows that the average duration of their posting in the last five years was 464 days.
- The good part about this reading is that over the last 20 years, this number has improved the most in the last five years, and this improvement has been both at the Centre and in states.
- The bad reading is that a bureaucrat is still averaging only about 15 monthsin a posting, which is a considerable distance away from the standard of three to five years that is commonly spoken of in organizational and human resource contexts.
- The analysis of the SUPREMO (Single User Platform Related to Employees Online) databaseof the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India, shows that the average posting spell of civil servants in India is only about 15 months.
- Job transfers are a huge matter for governments and their employees, a source of constant worry for employees and apparent satisfaction for governments.
Fixed tenure advantages to civil servants for good governance
- Many respondents suggested a fixed tenure of at least 2 to 3 yearsfor all civil servants (except officers of suspect integrity) to ensure accountability and maximise their impact on the job.
- Whilefixed tenures have not materialised, the reduction in the last five years in the number of transfers, and a corresponding increase in average tenures across both Centre and states, is a silver lining.
- But true, and lasting gains, calls for systemic reforms, and that is not visible at the moment. Theundermining of transfer guidelines has been a major shortcoming of personnel administration in India. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission has highlighted it.
- The Fifth Pay Commission had recommended that no premature transfer should be allowed and that there should be fixation of a minimum tenure for each post. This would ensure longevity in schemes and reforms and impact at grassroots levelin case of reforms taken.
- Less transfers also mean, moremotivation to show real progress by civil servants and thus working towards betterment and welfare of people.
Conclusion
Good governance and better administration of development is often offered as a plausible solution to conflict management. At the heart of this solution are public administrators. Civil servants, no matter how dedicated, innovative and efficient they may be, need a stability of tenure to govern well.
A healthy working relationship between Ministers, MPs, MLAs and civil servants is critical for good governance. Therefore, the state needs to take every stakeholder of governance in confidence.
General Studies – 3
Topic: basics of cyber security
Difficulty level: Moderate
Reference: The Hindu
Why the question:
Bots on Telegram are small applications that run entirely within the platform and can be designed to support any kind of task or service. However, not all of them are secure and safe. They may collect user data, including personal information and chat history.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the threats posed by bots and measures to counter them.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Briefly explain the concept of bots and their prevalence in the digital landscape.
Body:
First, write about the diverse range of threats posed by bots across various sectors – Disinformation and propaganda, Bots used to disseminate fake news and manipulate public opinion and Impact on political processes, social cohesion, and trust in information sources.
Next, write about the steps that are needed to counter the above.
Conclusion:
Conclude by writing a way forward.
Introduction
On June 12, reports came out which alleged that a Telegram bot had access to and was presenting the identification numbers of the documents submitted for vaccination purposes which includes Aadhaar, PAN card, and even passport numbers of individuals. In a similar incident, in 2021, a bot on the platform was found selling phone numbers pulled from Facebook. Security researchers reportedly found a network of deep fake bots on the platform that were generating non-consensual images of people submitted by users, some of which involved children.
Bots are computer programs that act as agents of a user or another computer program. Bots on Telegram are small applications that run entirely within the platform and can be designed to support any kind of task or service.
Body
What are bots?
- Simply put, internet bots are software applications that are designed to automate many tedious and mundane tasks online. They’ve become an integral part of what makes the internet tick and are used by many internet applications and tools.
- For example, internet search engines like Google rely on bots that crawl through web content in order to index information. Bots go through millions of web pages’ text to find and index terms that these pages contain. So, when a user searches for a particular term, the search engine will know which pages contain that particular information.
- Travel aggregators use bots to continuously check and gather information on flight details and hotel room availabilities so that they can display the most up-to-date information for users. This means that users no longer need to check different websites individually. The aggregators’ bots consolidate all of the information, allowing the service to display the data all at once.
Multifaceted threats posed by bots
- User data theft: Bots may collect user data, including personal information and chat history and users should read the terms of service and privacy policy to understand how individual bots handle user data.
- Distribution of malicious content: Bots can also be created by threat actors to contain malicious content, such as links to phishing websites or malware. Threat actors can also distribute bots to scam users, promising rewards or discounts on purchases to lure users into sharing their personal data.
- Security and fraud: Some bots could have security vulnerabilities that can be used by threat actors to compromise the security of users. Introducing a bot to a secure Telegram chat could also downgrade the level of encryption as they may not be using Telegram’s encryption protocol, which works by scrambling and making it illegible while in transit.
- Eg: Stealing credit card details, account takeover etc. Further, 15% of all login attempts in the past 12 months, across all industries, were classified as account takeover. Cybercriminals use bad bots to facilitate credential stuffing and brute force attacks, as automation can cycle through credentials quickly until successful.
- Distributed attacks: Proxies give bots easy access to millions of IP addresses to abuse. As soon as one IP address is blocked, bots can shift to another one. Attacks from 100 distinct IP addresses are less likely to be caught in filters than 100 attacks from one IP address.
- e-commerce: E-commerce websites, mobile apps, and APIs have always been targeted by bots—particularly scrapers and scalpers.
- Bot problems are even worse on sites with limited-edition products like sneakers, GPUs, and certain game consoles.
- Scraping and scalping attacks can consume significant bandwidth, pull your IT team away from other important issues, and make it much harder for your human customers to shop for the merchandise they want.
Countering bots
- Identifying the problem: Organizations must be proactive in dealing with bad bots. This starts with recognizing and identifying the problem. IT teams can assess if their networks are being attacked by bots by taking a look at their web analytics and review their traffic.
- Spikes in bandwidth consumption and log-in attempts can be signs of increased bot activities. Traffic from unusual countries of origin can also hint at bad bots probing a site for vulnerabilities. Checking IP addresses and geolocations of traffic sources can reveal potential bot activity.
- Deploying strict access controls: Multi-factor authentication requires users to provide additional credentials such as one-time-passwords (OTP). These can be implemented to deter bot attacks such as credential stuffing. Using identity and access management (IAM) also allows administrators to strictly define which resources within their network can be accessed by specific user accounts. This way, in the event that a bot “cracks” the credentials of one account, its access to the network is still limited (thereby minimizing the potential damage).
- Monitoring activity: It’s important to constantly monitor and test the behavior of all security measures that are put in place. Misconfiguration or faulty implementation does happen. As such, checks like penetration tests and attack simulations should be performed routinely to verify if the measures work as intended. Adopting even the most expensive tools and solutions would only lead to waste if they are improperly configured.
Conclusion
Site owners should pay close attention to their traffic considering how malicious bots continue to run rampant. Left unchecked, bad bot traffic can evolve from a nuisance to something more serious such as a full-on cyber attack in no time. Knowing how to mitigate bad bot traffic can help to safeguard your infrastructure and create a more secure internet for everyone.
Value addition
Bad bots and their uses
- Web scraping — Hackers can steal web content by crawling websites and copying their entire contents. Fake or fraudulent sites can use the stolen content to appear legitimate and trick visitors.
- Data harvesting — Aside from stealing entire websites’ content, bots are also used to harvest specific data such as personal, financial, and contact information that can be found online.
- Price scraping — Product prices can also be scraped from ecommerce websites so that they can be used by companies to undercut their competitors.
- Brute-force logins and credential stuffing — Malicious bots interact with pages containing log-in forms and attempt to gain access to sites by trying out different username and password combinations.
- Digital ad fraud — Hackers can game pay-per-click (PPP) advertising systems by using bots to “click” on ads on a page. Unscrupulous site owners can earn from these fraudulent clicks.
- Spam — Bot can also automatically interact with forms and buttons on websites and social media pages to leave phony comments or false product reviews.
- Distributed denial-of-service attacks — Malicious bots can be used to overwhelm a network or server with immense amounts of traffic. Once the allotted resources are used, sites and applications supported or hosted by the network will become inaccessible to legitimate users.
General Studies – 4
Topic: Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators
6. Which moral philosophers’ teachings do you relate to the most? Why? (150 words)
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: plato.stanford.edu
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Key Demand of the question:
To write the about the moral philosophers teaching you relate to the most.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
In the introduction, given brief of moral philosopher you relate to the most.
Body:
First, give a brief of major tenets of his/her moral philosophy.
Next, write about as to why you resonate the with philosophy of the aforementioned philosopher. Ethically reason and justify using examples.
Conclusion:
Conclude by summarising.
Introduction
Please note: Aspirants can write about any moral philosopher whose teachings has influenced them most. This is just a sample answer.
Swami Vivekananda was a great social reformer of the 19th century. He was a devote follower of Vedanta. He tried to apply Vedanta to practical everyday life. Hence his teaching are also referred to as Practical Vedanta.
His teachings on compassion and tolerance has influenced my life a lot.
Body
Swami Vivekananda preached tolerance and peace for humankind. His idea of peace and tolerance was global and included people of all the religions and sects. If humans are to thrive and prosper, they need to tolerate the diversified views and strive for the prosperity of all.
Swami’s teachings on compassion which has influenced me
- Compassion is the feeling of oneness with others.
- It is not just showing sympathy and empathy towards others. In the words of the Gita, real compassion is ‘sarva-bhūtastham ātmānaṁ; seeing the Self in all beings’ or ‘sarva-bhūtāni chātmani; seeing all beings in the Self.
- He stressed that success at the cost of poor is not worth having.
- He tells us that as a part of society every person is responsible for the welfare of poor and marginalised people.
- It emphasizes the need to have empathy and compassion for the weaker sections of the society.
Conclusion
It is high time for the youth to come forward by shedding their fears to shape up India. Swamiji laid great stress on Vasudev Kutumbakam. He argued that instead of differences if we focused on the similarities we all share then this world would be a happier place. His teachings are relevant today since many problems remained the same. His teachings reflects a path to these problems.
Value addition
A small anecdote on Swami Vivekananda’s compassion
Swami Vivekananda was staying in the Math. Some Santhal laborers used to work in the Math. They were poor, uneducated and simple. Swamiji had great sympathy, bordering on love, for these laborers who, despite honest and hard labor, could not feed their family adequately. The compassionate heart of Swami Vivekananda would grieve and melt for these poor fellows. He would inquire about their family, say simple jokes, and mix with these ‘lowly fellows’. The spiritual personality of Swamiji would see suffering Narayana in them. His heart would get filled with unparalleled pity, compassion, and kindness towards these Santhal workers.
Like Gopis of Vraja, who would protest to Krishna not to play the sweet music on his flute, for it attracted them to Him and His Raas Lila with such great intensity that they used to forget their homes and husbands, these workers would also protest: “O my Swamiji, do not come to us when we are working, for while talking to you our work stops and the supervising swami rebukes us afterwards.” With such intensity of love, Swami Vivekananda would attract these poor laborers.
One day Swamiji had a desire to feed these workers. Accordingly, he made arrangements for their lunch. At his orders, bread, curry, sweets, and curds etc. were arranged for the Santhals. Sitting before the Swami, all of them relished the sumptuous food. One Keshta said: “O Swami, whence have you got such a thing! We never tasted anything like this.” Feeding them to their heart’s content, Swami Vivekananda said, “You are Narayana, God manifest; today I have offered food to Narayana.”
Turning to the disciple, the Swami said: “I found them the veritable embodiment of God – such simplicity, such sincere guileless love I have seen nowhere else.” And later addressing the sannyasins of the Math, Swami Vivekananda had said: “Can you mitigate their misery a little! Otherwise, of what good is the wearing of the Gerrua (ochre) robe? Sacrifice of everything for the good of others is real sannyasa…” “Seeing the poor people of our country starving for food, a desire comes to my mind to overthrow all ceremonial worship and learning, and go around from place to place to serve these poor and afflicted…”
Topic: laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance;
Difficulty Level: Tough
Reference: plato.stanford.edu
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4.
Key Demand of the question:
To write about the relation between needs of majority and utilitarian ethics.
Directive:
Debate – Weigh up to what extent something is true. Persuade the reader of your argument by citing relevant research but also remember to point out any flaws and counter- arguments as well. Conclude by stating clearly how far you agree with the original proposition.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Start by describing utilitarianism.
Body:
First, write about the limitations of utilitarianism which paves the way for governments to function in ways that bring happiness to a majority but ignore the wishes and rights of a minority. Substantiate with examples.
Next, counter the above as to how utilitarianism is not just about majority or minority but about maximum good for maximum people. Cite examples.
Conclusion:
Conclude the answer by giving a balanced opinion.
Introduction
Utilitarianism would say that an action is right if it results in the happiness of the greatest number of people in a society or a group. Utilitarianism is a theory of morality, which advocates actions that foster happiness or pleasure and opposes actions that cause unhappiness or harm. When directed toward making social, economic, or political decisions, a utilitarian philosophy would aim for the betterment of society as a whole.
Body
Concept of Utilitarianism
Greatest good of the greatest number, was famously given by Jeremy Bentham, the father of utilitarianism. Bentham’s fundamental axiom, which underlies utilitarianism, was that all social morals and government legislation should aim for producing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. Utilitarianism, therefore, emphasizes the consequences or ultimate purpose of an act rather than the character of the actor, the actor’s motivation, or the particular circumstances surrounding the act. It has these characteristics:
- Universality, because it applies to all acts of human behaviour, even those that appear to be done from altruistic motives;
- Objectivity, meaning it operates beyond individual thought, desire, and perspective;
- Rationality, because it is not based in metaphysics or theology; and
- Quantifiability in its reliance on utility.
Utilitarianism and ways of Government
Governments of nations can work and operate in such a way that they can gain legitimacy and consent of the majority. This is enough for a government to stay in power and uphold utilitarian principle of greatest happiness of greatest number. In such a scenario, minority needs and minority rights get shunned. For instance, in Nazi Germany Jews were ostracised and ultimately led to genocide. Most of the policies of a majoritarian governments are for the welfare of a certain community, race. This may deny the minority rights or not work towards these sections are they do not form vote banks.
Hence utilitarianism may not lead to justice and rights of minority sections. At the same time, most democracies have a Constitution that protects minorities.
Conclusion
Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism because it rests on the idea that it is the consequences or results of actions, laws, policies, etc. that determine whether they are good or bad, right or wrong. In general, whatever is being evaluated, we ought to choose the one that will produce the best overall results. In the language of utilitarians, we should choose the option that “maximizes utility,” i.e. that action or policy that produces the largest amount of good.
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