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Summary
Ethics Class 16

A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE PREVIOUS CLASS (5:07 P.M.)

VIRTUE-BASED ETHICS (5:10 P.M.)

  • Socrates
  • 'Knowledge is a virtue'.
  • Plato
  • There are four cardinal virtues:
  • (a) Wisdom
  • (b) Courage
  • (c) Temperance
  • (d) Justice
  • Aristotle
  • The golden mean is a virtue. 

SOCRATES 

  • He was an ancient Greek philosopher known for his Socratic questioning method and commitment to seeking truth and wisdom.
  • This method involved engaging in dialogues, often leading to questioning, inquiry, and deciding whether to accept or reject.
  • In his own words, an unexamined life is not worth living.
  • In the backdrop of fake news, paid news, deep fake, increased conflict in society, etc. is due to a lack of examination of the facts.
  • One should have the freedom to express his/her opinion, along with the ability and courage to speak the truth.
  • For example, countries not questioning China's aggressive policy.
  • According to Socrates, virtues determine the morality of the action, and knowledge is the virtue.
  • Concerning Indian philosophy knowledge is the virtue.
  • For example, according to Bhagavad Geeta, one can achieve moksha through Gyan Marg.
  • According to Jainism, having the right knowledge is the path to achieving the Kaivalya (ultimate liberation).

PLATO

  • According to Plato, there are four cardinal virtues, 
  • (a) Wisdom
  • Wisdom is the sum of knowledge and morality.
  • It refers to the application of knowledge in the right direction.
  • This virtue involves sound judgment and the ability to make wise decisions.
  • It plays an important role in regulating all other virtues.
  • For example, Praveen Kaswan, an IFoS official used social media to promote indigenous products like water bottles made of bamboo.
  • (b) Courage
  • It is referred to as the bravery to do justice.
  • It not only deals with physical bravery but also moral and intellectual courage to stand for what is right.
  • For example, frontline workers during COVID-19, firefighters, socio-religious reformers, honest civil servants, etc.
  • Kiran Bedi showed immense courage when she implemented reforms in the Tihar jail, despite the resistance from bureaucracy and traditional practices.
  • (c) Temperance
  • It is referred to as the moderation of thoughts, emotions, and actions
  • This virtue is our strength which protects us against any excess we commit and it consists of self-regulation.
  • It is useful in handling communal conflicts, interpersonal relations, gaming disorders, Mcdonaldisation of food habits, consumerism, credit card culture, social media obsession, road rage, trolling, corruption, etc.
  • (d) Justice
  • Plato gave the theory of justice at the two levels- individual and State level.
  • At the individual level, every soul has three qualities, although in different proportions:
  • Reason (To think and learn)-  This resides in the head.
  • Spirit (To remain motivated)- This resides in the heart.
  • Appetite (To know what we need)- This resides in the stomach.
  • According to Plato, justice is served at the individual level when all these qualities serve their rightful purpose.
  • A wise man will use his emotions to motivate himself to do what intellect finds valuable.
  • An unwise person will use emotions to overindulge in appetite.
  • Sometimes an individual knows that they are wrong and still perform the action because emotions side with their appetite.
  • When these three parts existing in every individual are reflected at the State level, justice is served.
  • The individual with the reason/wisdom should be part of the ruling class.
  • The individual with the spirit/courage should be part of the military class.
  • The individual with the appetite/temperance should be part of the producer class.

ARISTOTLE (6:00 P.M.)

  • Humility Modesty Pride
    Flattery Friendship Quarrelsome
    Stingy Generosity Extravagance
    Indecisive Self-Control Impulsive
    Apathy Composure Irritable
  • In the above table it is highlighted that according to Aristotle, the golden mean is a virtue.
  • It is the character that determines the ethicality and not the action, intention, or consequences.
  • For example, let us say, that there exists discontent with some government policies. One should not indulge in violent protest or shouldn't remain silent.
  • However, they should follow the middle path of taking an action that is legally approved.

JUSTICE BASED ETHICS (6:15 P.M.)

  • Concerning Crime Distributive Justice
    Retributive Justice Aristotle
    Reformative Justice Rawl
    Compensation as a means of Justice.  Amartya Sen
  • Retributive Justice
  • Retributive means exchange/reciprocity/quid pro quo.
  • If 'X' has committed a crime, s/he will be punished. These three principles need to be followed while deciding on punishment:
  • (a) Proportionate
  • (b) Retrospective Implementation
  • (c) No double jeopardy
  • Retributive justice in the absence of adequate reforms creates the probability of a person falling into the trap of committing repeated crimes.
  • In the absence of change in the value system criminal tendencies are encouraged due to:
  • (a) Revenge-seeking attitude.
  • (b) Lack of social integration due to naming and shaming.
  • Reformative Justice
  • It is based on the philosophy that 'every saint has a past and every sinner has a future'.
  • It focuses on the rehabilitation of criminals by introducing reforms such as counselling, vocational training, meditation, ethical values, etc.
  • The Ministry of Home Affairs released a model prison manual in 2016 emphasizing the rights of prisoners, humane treatment, and standards for prison management.
  • However, reformative justice should never replace retributive justice as there would be a lack of deterrence.
  • Justice as Compensation
  • In the cases of communal atrocities, the context of vulnerable sections, etc. compensation constitutes an important element of justice as it is required for their basic survival.
  • Aristotle (6:43 P.M.)
  • It is unjust to treat equals unequally as it is unjust to treat unequal equally.
  • It means that only equals should be treated equally and unequals should be treated unequally.
  • According to Aristotle, the distribution of wealth should be directly proportional to their merit.
  • According to him, 'justice is a virtuous mean between the vices of giving more or less than what an individual deserves'.
  • His theory was criticized for being elitist and not taking into consideration historical injustices, social pathologies, and the socio-economic positioning of an individual.
  • Rawl's Theory
  • Rawls was a moral and political philosopher who was known for his book, theory of justice.
  • According to him, an individual is capable of making rational decisions. Based on this assumption he gave the theory of justice.
  • To ensure that objective standard is used in decision-making and without any prejudice, the concept of the veil of ignorance was put forward.
  • It is a hypothetical situation before the starting of the society when people decide the principles on which the society is built.
  • These people are unaware of the social position that they would occupy in the future society, i.e. rich, poor, majority, minority, etc.
  • This would ensure the development of fair and just principles as provisions would be made to benefit the entire society keeping in mind the worst-case scenario.
  • Principles proposed by Rawls
  • (a) Liberty is non-negotiable.
  • (b) Equal opportunity for all.
  • (c) Difference principle.
  • It is valid as long as it benefits the weaker section.
  • It creates scope for State intervention to benefit the marginalized.
  • For example, Reservation, Direct Benefit Transfer, Dalit Capitalism, Subsidies, Stand Up India, etc.
  • Amartya Sen Idea of Justice (7:06 P.M.)
  • Justice will not be served in the true sense by only focusing on resource distribution, as it is neither sustainable nor advisable.
  • It will make the individual dependent and will deny them the freedom to live the life of their choice,
  • He gave the idea of the 'Capability Approach'.
  • His prescription was the investment in social infrastructure.
  • The contemporary relevance of his theory is immense. We can find the relevance of this theory in the given areas:
  • (a) Human Capital Formation.
  • (b) Demographic Dividend.
  • (c) Sustainable Development Goals.
  • (d) Longevity Dividend.
  • (e) Healthy Ageing.
  • (f) Women Empowerment.
  • Often there is a debate about what constitutes justice. Hence, Amartya Sen uses a story to illustrate the complexity of justice and challenges the idea of the absolute notion of fairness and justice. For example, the flute story.

THE TOPIC FOR THE NEXT CLASS: RIGHT-BASED ETHICS