PSIR DeepAnalysis

UPSC Ethics daily answer writing Practice 24th January 2022 Model answer

UPSC Ethics daily answer writing Practice 24th January 2022 Model answer

Question: Morality provides a foundation for ethical standards to be evolved in to a society. Explain with help of relevant examples.

  • What is morality?
  • How morality can be a foundation for ethical standards? Some ethical standards are evolved on the basis of morality.
  • How ethics get evolved in a society?
  • Role of society which translates morality in ethical standards.

Morality refers to a set of values or principles which guides an individual or social behavior for what is good or bad. E.g. love and respect for others.

On the other hand ethics is a reasoned framework of moral principles to guide an individual that what is good or bad. It is universal in nature. Its foundation lies on those moral values which are universal in nature and evolved with reasoned scrutiny of prevailing moral values in a society.

Morality may vary from individual to individual within a society or across various societies. Some of these moral values which promote humanity, universal brotherhood, peace, justice, human dignity in human lives become ethical standards. On the other hand some moral values remain outside the ambit of ethical standards. For example in Indian society the same sex marriage may be against the social morality, however it may be acceptable in western societies and even at individual level in our own society. Therefore it requires considerable public reasoning, deliberations, awareness and critical enquiry of morality to be accepted as an ethical standard.

Conclusion: Morality will provide a strong ethical foundation only when it has been critically scrutinized to be accepted universally as a strong moral value which adheres to the evolving concept of human rights in contemporary times.