ethics o r u pe

o1, esp
aeha
rOUD, prutession,
maral
1hess
o

1
e

Basic Concepts
Asoto ma satgamayo, tamaso ma jyothirgamaya, mrityorma amruthamgamaya
(From falsehood to truth, from darkness to light ond from deoth to eternol life)
- BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD

Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to
define basic terms related to morality and ethics
áppreciate the importance of ethics to individuals, organizations, and society
list and explain some of the governing factors of an individual's ethics
comprehend how ethical behaviour is influenced by context
value the importance of ethical behaviour
define and explain the concepts oflife skills and emotional intelligence

ALLYSA
AKING
Vipin Handa is a science graduate. After completing his studies, he joined a publishing house as
a junior commissioning editor. He worked very hard and was successful in getting appreciation
from his superiors for his work. He was ambitious. In addition, he had family responsibilities. His
father was a clerk in a government office; he also had an elder sister to be married. They were just about
making both ends meet.
The publishing house he was working for published engineering books. During his work, he undertook
many projects for publication. He was successful in some cases but could not make any headway in many
others. He quickly realized that there are not many who are willing to write books or are capable of writing
good material. Many engineering teachers and professionals shied away from such work.
During his years with the company, he met many people who were willing to write books and many who
promised to do so later. He had a database of such people that he maintained as part of the normal procedure
of the company. He maintained a good relationship with all those people, as he was a very enterprising
person with good communication skills.
He worked with the firm for three years. His résumé and work experience now looked good and he applied
for a higher position in another publishing house that was also in the business of publishing engineering text
books. Due to his past experience in the field, the company recruited him and gave him a good remuneration
package. He decided to join the new firm.
 2 Professional Ethics

While leaving his present employer, he transferred all the data of writers and potential writers to a Ch
which he took with him. This had the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of more than 200 peonla
e
who could be considered as
potential writers.
Ater joining the new firm, he was under pressure to acquire new projects-idenhify and contact writer
Tor
engineering books. Since he very ambitious and faced the pressure of doing well in his job
was
and
Supporting his family, he used the data from his CD. He contacted many of them and got several projects
because of his earlier association with them. He won the appreciation of his new employers for the business
he was able to get.
Ethicus wants your opinion the
on following:
. When you work for a company you are privy to a lot of information that may be crucial in a
highly
competihve environment. Was it right of Vipin to take this information with him and use it when
working for a competitor?
. D o you think that
collecting the oficial data on a CD and using it for personal success was a
highly
unethical act?
3. Suppose Vipinhad not made a CD of the database he had. He remembered many people and had
their
contact numbers with him. Now if he contacts them for fresh projects, would it be ethical?

INTRODUCTION
T chapter aims to initiate you into the world of morality, ethics, and values, and help
understand them better. These abstract
concepts need to be understood to formulate the
objectives of leading a satisfying and blissful life. Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals
with the study of moral standards and edicts that are intended to govern our behaviour. While
there are norms and standards for ethical
behaviour, the bottom line is the individual's own
perceptions about morality and ethics.
This chapter provides an overview of the basic
concepts of ethics, which will be detailed
in later chapters. While, in
general, you may be able to distinguish between right and wrong
actions based upon your experiences and
beliefs, it is also true that your decisions are often
based on your individual perceptions. The absoluteness of
is very difficult to specify in many cases. The intention in this
something being right or wrong
chapter is to enter the world of
ethics by understanding the different aspects of human existence.

TERMINOLOGY

Let deal with the definitions of some of the common terms used in this
us
book. These terms
and their meanings are, by themselves, rather ambiguous or abstract.
They get their substance
from what is more commonly accepted by the society.

Moral and Morality

The word moral is defined in the Oxlord dictionary as 'concerned with the principles of right
and wrong behaviour' and 'a lesson that can be derived from a
story or experience'. Morality,
on the other hand, is defined in the following ways:

.Principles governing ight and wrong and good and bad behaviour.'
 Basic Concepts 3

.The degree to which something is right or wrong, good, or bad, and so on

.'A system of moral pinciples tollowed by a particular group of people.
Morality is derived trom thc Latin word morahtas, meaning manner, customs, or proper

bchaviour.
Morality 15 an ambiguous tem. The dicionary meanings referred to earlier denote the
can be
attnbutcs of the ternm without explaining its absolute meaning. It is argued that morality
classificd in three ways:

refers to a moral code of

Descriptive morality Descrnptive morality, in its simplest form,
unless mentioned
conduct formulated by a group of people. Morality, by itself, has no meaning
in this sense,
with respect to a group of people, who may be religious or otherwise. Morality,
is not similar to laws enacted by the legislature and is followed by all. Thus, morality
can vary

widely in its specificaions depending on the group that formulates it. This concept perhaps
also arise if the
contradicts the presence of any universal moral conduct rules. Conflicts
can

code of conduct is not accepted by all members of the society.

the conditions
Normative morality This morality denotes a code of conduct, but it specifies
under which it is valid and considered acceptable by all rational people.

that studies the ethical

Morality synonymous with ethics Ethics is a branch of philosophy
For instance, an
codes required for moral behaviour, and is considered identical to morality.
a bribe in lieu of a
extramarital relationship may be called immoral, while a person taking
favour is described as unethical.

Ethics
that studies the evolution
Ethics is a branch of philosophy, or specifically moral philosophy,
of concepts such as right and wrong behaviour. The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
influence a person's behaviour
(OALD) defines ethics as 'the moral principles that conurol or
behaviour. OALD also defines it as 'the branch of
or a system of moral principles or rules of
philosophy that deals with moral principles. Ethics can be categorized as follows:
Metaethics It deals with the origin of ethical principles that goverm the specification of right
and wrong behaviour. A major issue of debate in this category is whether ethical principles are
etemal truths that evolve from a spiritual world or whether they are simply created by humans.
Those who believe in the latter believe that moral values are created by individuals as well as

by society to govern the behaviour of individuals.

| Descriptive ethics It refers to the study of moral beliefs of people. It is a field of empirical
researchinto what people or societies consider right or wrong.

Normative ethics It is concerned with arriving at a set of moral conduct rules against which
behaviours are judged.

Applied ethics It primarily denotes the study of ethically controversial issues, such as
imposition of death penalty and cloning. Applied cthics, thus, can be classified further into a
large number of categories such as bioethics, computer ethics, and medical ethics.
4 Professional Ethics

Exhibit 1.1 provides insights into Aristotle's views on ethics.

EXHIBIT 1.1|
Aristotle (384-322 BC)
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and thinker. He was a prolific writer and wrote extensively on
many subjects, including ethics. Aristotle, a student of Plato (who in turn was taught by Socrates),
can be said to be the face of Socrates and Plato, as most of the writings on their teachings have
been presented to us by him. It is believed that Alexander the Great was his disciple. Some of
Aristotle's views on ethics are as follows:
Aristotle considered ethics a practical rather than a theoretical subject; he believed that one

*
should not only aim at becoming good but also doing good for others.
Aristotle
believed that virtue is concerned with the proper functioning of anything-the eye
must see to fulfil its function of sight. He thus postulated that virtue enables humans to function
properly and achieve his expectations, which, in turn, can bring happiness of the soul. All human
achons, hence, must be directed towards attaining this goal. To become virtuous, one needs to
possess a good character (or high morals).
Aristotle advocated that to attain such a character and
possess such virtues one needs a good
eacher and gain experience so that he/she can consciously do good and become happy.
Aristotle wrote extensively on ethics. His three books that are available are Nichomachean
Ethics, Eudemian Ethics, and Magna Moralia. The first one is the most popular, having received
great attention from scholars. His fourth work on politics has the basic theme that good of the
individual is subordinate to the good of the state or the
society.

Values
The OALD defines values as 'beliefs about what is
right and wrong and what is important in
life. In this sense, values are closely related to
morality and ethics. Individuals hold certain
values for their personal behaviour. Societal values are those that are
of individuals, whereas universal values are adhered to
accepted by a majority
by the whole world. Degeneration in
values is considered a major factor aftlicuing society
today. Value system refers to a set of values
pertaining the society in general. Chapter 10 details human values and their
to
importance.
Spirituality
The word spiritual has been defined in the OALD as 'concerned
with the human spirit, rather
than the body or physical things', 'concerned with
religion. The word spirituality means 'the
quality of concerned with
being religion
or the human spirie'.
matters that
Spirituality is believed to concern
are
physical, temporal, or worldly. In common parlance, it is said to refer
not
to matters concerning the soul.
Spirituaity has many common aspects with religious beliefs.
Spirituality will be lurther discussed in Chapter 10 while discussing spiritual values.
Stakeholders
In moral issues, the stakeholders include individuals,
political entities for governance also have a say.
organizations, and society. Religion and
 Basic Concepts 5

is more
Individuas They up organizations and the society. The morality ofindividuals
make
holisuc viCw ol thungs. There exist numerous moral codes, ctiquettes, lega
important in the not ensure cthical
and rel1gous edicts. The fact that the cxistence of all hese does
dirrctions,
and convictions matter cousiclerably.
bchaviour of ciuzens shows that individual perceptions corrcct society. How
Individuals thus lorm the major stakeholders in ensuring a just and morally
interest. l he
the individuals
learn appropinate behaviour, thus, becomes a matter of great
moral
still stuclied.
how they can be learnt are
possibilitics of ethical behaviour being taught to people and
Sudha Murty (a must-read for young
Let us look at a story from the book Wise and Othereise by
his secondary
achieved the cighth rank in
people). A very poor young boy, Hanumanthappa, due to poverty.
school examination. He was a coolic's and could not pursue further studies
son
It was agrced that
author met him and offered help to cnable him to pursue higher studies.
The
Tl'he author sent him
month lor his expenses as per his own estimates.
he will be given T300 per
him another R1800 lor
for the first six months. Afier six months she sent
an amount of R1800 enclosed, from
the next six months. After a few days,
she received a letter, with some money
not been in college for the last two
months cdue to holidays
the boy. The boy wrote that he had
that money.
and strikc. He had enclosed R300 as he had not spent
not hesitate to
so poor, he did
Just think of the cxemplary honesty of the boy. Despite being come from? ls it an innate
not used. Where does such honesty
retum the money that he had
is evoked by ethical
virtue or developed with schooling? This story also illustrates how courage

behaviour
employ groups of people such as company,
a an
denote entities that
Organizations They conduct
on certain codes of ethical
office, or an institution. Many organizations lay emphasis
have any control over an individual's conduct
while others do not. Often, organizations do not
out its ethical codes and inform o r
train
outside its premises. However, organizations should lay
to adhere to good conduct, not only
within the organization and works related to the
employees
have a salutary efflect o n the society in general. Work
organization, but also outside. This will
ethics is very important to implement etficiency at work and prevent corruption.
behaviour in
Society Individuals and organizations form part of the society. Appropriate
of code of conduct that changes
societal conduct evolves over time. It denotes a dynamic system
influence on o u r behaviour. As societies
with time. The current moral conduct codes have big
a

are formed by large groups of people,

each individual may not subscribe to all that the code
that are in conflict with the societal code, and
of conduct prescribes. This leads to behaviours
the code itself. This essentially happens with some aspects of
over a period of time, they change
social conduct but not with many global values that are accepted by a large majorit ofsocieties.

GOVERNING EDICTS
Our lives are often governed by certain controlling edicts or orders implemented through
or the constitution. If the society or religion
does not change with time, age-old
relgion, society, and
edicts may conflict with present ethical norms. Dr Damien Grace, political philosopher
Ethics is not just
historian, observes, Ethics is a way of living one's ife in pursuit of excellence.
a private matter. It has its private and public sides--but it cannot be just personal,
 6 Professional Ethics

Religious Edicts
EVen in present
times, religion plays an important role in shaping our behaviour. While w.
relugious conduct is evident in many of our actions, we are often unaware as to how re udo.
plays an important role in shaping our ethical behaviour. Right and wrong are two sides of
the
same coin and religion does not prescribe what is right or wrong. In most cases, wlhat isethi
cal
depends on the circumstances. For example, many religions do not approve ol lamily planninee
which other than being a population control mechanism also enables you to manaoe
he
ecucation and upbringing of your children within your available means. Such religious
ts
oppose the socio-cconomic views of the present times. Exploding human populauon requires
additional habitats, leading to encroachment of he habitats of other living beings by ing
down forests, which is a serious environmental issue as well. These contlicting Situations neecd
to
be discussed and acceptable solutions should be found for peace and harmony in the sacietv
lt is
ty,
not possible to discuss religious edicts in detail and provide a critique of allthat is saicl and done.
Social Edicts
The definition of
very morality includes acceptable behaviour as per social or community
standards. Obviously, they vary from society to society and give us an impression that there can
be no universal morality standards. Such standards of acceptable behaviours in a socicty evohe
with time. Some conficts in socicty have been caused by increasing globalization and diverse
1nformation conveyed to people through a variety of media.
As an example, a few decades ago, in India, one would have not even heard of Valentine's
day. It is due to media exposure and people visiting other countries that the celebration of
Valentine's day has become common in India. From a commercial perspective, this has become
a lucrative proposition. There also have been protests, sometimes violent, against Valentine's
day. It is not that people in India were earlier unaware of the message of love that is conveyed
by celebrating Valentine's day. However, the manner in which it is expressed in present times
has given rise to conficts and a growing sense of anathema to some people, particularly the
older generation and some rcligious groups.
As socicties cvolved, it became necessary to control the behaviour of individuals to attain
peace and harmony in society. There must have been violence in the early stages with some
people resorting to thc 'might is right' attitude. Moral and ethical norms would have then
evolved by consent of the majority. Such standards would have evolved with time. As and
when the socicty laced a new ethical problem lor which no precedence was available, the
leaders established new codes of conduct and behavioural standards. The elderly leaders in the
community, who are respected by all, become the architects of such norms.
Societal edicts need not always be correct. There are many examples of unethical atitudes of
a given group of people. Apartheid and untouchability are examples of such unethical practices.
Conficts in the society anse due to individual perception of moral values that goes against
the dictates of the soCiety or community to which the individual belongs. Individual atitudes to
moral standards change laster than that of the society.
Social edicts, however, infuence individual behaviour, which in turn affects local issues
ommunity. In India, the village Panchayat has the power to dictate and enlorc

a
 BasicConcepts 7

certain behavioura codes amongst individuals.T fact that these codes often go against the
constitutiona edicts is a ferent issue.
Personal ethics and societal lictates are very much in conflict today. Personal moral
standards are changing much faster today. For example, people of the younger generatuon,
star
much value system or even religious exclusion, might opt tor inter-
who may not place on caste

Caste marriages, though many conservative families and even communities would not suPport
caste

Such marriages. There have been many

examples of honour killings perpetuated by parents or
relatives of young rebellious couples who defied social dictates and decided to get married to
from
not their caste.
partners who were

Constitutional Edicts
Constitutional edicts are provisions granted by the constitution, and the laws created under i1s
umbrella, which us directions for
give behaviour. These can be different from the
appropriate
social edicts and can even contradict them. A typical example is the practice of child mamage

for men and women

prevalent in Rajasthan. The constitution provides the marriageable age
and belore any of the partners reach that age. Yet, customs and tradituons
prohibits marriage
are valued more in some communities of Rajasthan and child marriages are still prevalent
in the legislature, taking into account
today. The law has been enacted by common consent
bear children. In
various factors including physical and mental preparedness of a woman to
is married, he/she does
such cases, individual rights are also violated because when a child
he/she develops his/
not have individual perceptions about marTiage. As the child grows up,
with earlier perceptions. However,
her own perspectives about his/her life, which may conflict
times. Lcgal action in such may not
enforcing individual rights are being violated at
cases
laws
educate people about the
prove very effective too.
The only way to prevent such instances is to

importance of the law and its benefits.

Universality
Are there moral ethical norms and standards that are applicable universally? In a multi-
or
cultural world, it seems impossible to set norms for everyone. As the definition of morality
and standards acceptable to a society or community,
speaks of behaviour conforming to norms
there must be some norms and
such edicts will vary widely with the community. However,
student cheating in an examination is
standards that are applicable universally. For example, a
condemned universally. No one in their right mind will consider such behaviour ethical. Again,
behaviour from individuals. There is no controversy
telling the truth is a universally expected
about it.

CONTEXTUAL ASPECTS
Ethical norms and standards are essentially contextual in the sense that some actions may
social in which
particular society/community only. As the
context
be considered proper in a
varies, it is difficult to standardize universal
an action may be considered appropriate/proper
moral standards.
8 Professional Ethics

Context
ne sigmihicance of the context in cthical norms is evident in the following exanple. In New
York,ila man kisses a woman (not necessarily his wife) on the streets, it is not frowned upon. It is
a very common happening and not considered immoral or inappropriate in that society. In New
Dehi, on the other hand, ifa man kisses a woman on the street, it will be considered abnormal
behaviour and looked down upon with a frown. Hence, an individual's behaviour is evaluated
in the context in which that action takes place. However, there are many aspects of social codes
that have a universal presence. Itis important to imbibe and practise such universally accepted
behavioural patterns. Hence, an individual needs to balance his/her actions while deciing
his/hcr bchaviour in the context of universal values and the local societal codes.

Changing Scenario
Absence of morality and ethics is believed to be the prime cause for the ills winesscd in the
society. The world is changing fast. Technology revolution in communication has enabled
people to come closer. The mcdia has made its presence felt by its ability to present the
happenings across the world to people. This has made an enormous difterence in the way we
live and behave. The positive aspect has been the generation of a deeper understanding of the
world. However, on the negative side, it has brought about a cultural invasion and has caused
subsequent undesirable moral/ethical behaviour.
The changing scenario has been viewed by some as an undesirable invasion into uheir lives.
The inertia is particularly seen in small communities that have resisted any attempts to change
the way they live. Change is inevitable and is the only permanent thing in this world. We have
to think albout the impact of these changes on our moral and ethical standards and accept those
changes that are not hamful. There is a greater need today to educate people on morality and
ethics instead holding on to age-old customs and traditions that are no
of longer relevant today.
PERSONAL ETHICSs

Personal cthics refer to those behavioural patterns that apply to individuals in their
personal
life. It is very difficult to make a list of all that is important. The following list may be taken as
a sample and further expanded:

Refrain from causing harm to others by your acttons. Sometimes, the ethical codes refer to
least harm actions. Our attempt must be to ensure that we do not harm the
interests of others
by our behaviour.
B e benevolent or do good to others and the society on the whole.
Show concern for the well-being of others.
.Respect individual frecdom and accept that others have
autonomy in their thinking and
behaviour, hence, refrain from imposing your will on others.
Ensure that jusüce is meted to all.
Respect the law willingly and
voluntarily. Many ills in the society are caused by
lack of respect lor he laws of the land. ignorance and
.
Adopt and practise values such as honesty, integnty, trustworthiness, and
truthfulness.
 Basic Concepts 9

Do not be an opportunist and take unfair advantage of a situation.

Practise non-v1olence and end discords through peaceful means as violent means only
acccntuatc the divide.
Provide serice to the poor, which includes any disadvantagcd individual. Saclhu Vaswani, for
instance, has emphasized, Scrvice of the poor is the worship of
God

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Depending upon the profession you are in, there are ethical codes related to that profession.
Study the following list and reflect on it.

Openness is a desirable virtue in professionals. Transparency in all actions must be the

motto.

You should be impartual while dealing with people and in your actions. An impartial
judgement is a very desirable attribute in professionals.
Be objective so that you are not influenced by any personal bias while taking decisions.
Maintain confidentiality of the infomation available to you as a professional (or as decided
by the organization) for the sake of organizational growth.
Carry out the workallotted by the organization diligently, which includes care as well as
conscientiousness while performing your work.
Makeprofessionaljudgements impartialy, showing your innate sense of responsibility.
Be loyal to your organization
and
develop a sense of belongingness
with the organizaion.
Many people take pride in being part of their organization and care for the organization
above their own wel-being.
Avoid situations that might lead to contlicts. This may not always be possible as
your personal
ethical beliefs may sometimes lead to conflicts.

SOCIAL ETHICS
Social ethics can be defined as a set of rules that is obeyed by the members of a community so
as to maintain
good community relations within the social order. Social ethic is thus nomative
based on customs and traditions) and not mandated by law. It can thus be consicdered as the
moral or ethical principles based on the collective wisdom of the
people. These gencrally act as
ethical codes to control the behaviour of pecople. Social ethics evolve over a
period of time and
depend upon many lactors such as language, ethnicity, gender, and culture.
Social ethic varies widely in different communiies, within a country, and
globally across many
countries. Social ethic norms generally have a life dictated by
many factors and change with times.
It is necessary to
recognize that social ethic norms
adoptecl by a
community are what are
Considered acceptable by a majority of the community. It is created by people to ensure a
hamonious life for everyone.
Social cthics have become important because we live in a
to diferent cultures travel to other
global village. People belonging
locations, for short or long duraúons or even permanently,
10 Professional Ethics

or work. Understanding the social ethic rules of the local community 1s thus very neccssary and
and
SOmetimes very crucial to avoid misunderstanding
Many cxamples of social cthic actions can be seen in India.
I 1 you are scated, then standingup when you see yourelders is a common practice.
hoWing respect to elcders by touching their feet is also a norm practised commonly.
3. In some communitics, ladies cover their head and face using their saree when going out or
in front of clders.
ou can scc many examples like this in Indian communities. They also vary widely in different
communities. Social ethic norms are based majorly on acceptance and can (should) be enforced
onhy when it docs not harm others who may not accept it.
Soaal ethic has to be dynamic and must change with time. If it does not happen, then
conflics can anse.

ETHICAL DILEMMAS
Ethical dilemmas are situations where a decision suggested/taken as a solution to an ethical
problem becomes controversial. Many such problems are still being debated hotly around
the world. Death penalty to a convict is still being debated upon various grounds. Euthanasia
(mercy killing), which refers to the killing of a terminally ill person suftering acutely with no
hope of survival, is another example. To prevent the agony of such a person, the life-saving
equipment may be removed or the individual is killed in a painless way. There is a view that we
have no right to kill another human being. A second view is that depending on the situation,
it will be much better if the life is ended to stop the acute suffering that the patient is going
through.

have been living in this house for

years. I will not
vacate this house. Either we go
to court or you give me
20 lakhs compensation and I will vacate..
Tenant trouble
 Basic Concepts 11

The Hindi movie (iuzaansh, released in 2010, depicted the plight of a quadriplegic, a role
ssayed by Hnthik Roshan, who files an appeal in the court for euthanasia. The court turns
him down because euthanasia is not legal in India. Needless to say, this movie was inspired by
many such real-life incidents.
Newer ethical dhlemmas arise with developments in technology and science. Stem cell
research and cloning are hotly debated ethical issues in recent times. These technologies are
questioned on ethical grounds by religious groups as they feel that such developments are
interfering with the laws of creation and will have adverse implications on humanity. It 1s
necessary to debate such issues and end the ethical dilemma created by such situations.
You will fnd more discussion and examples on ethical dilemmas in Chapter 3.

LIFE SKILLS

Life skills, also known as generic skils, core skill, employability skills, or foundation skills, are
skills that apply across a wide spectrum of funcions, and together with job-related technical
skills, form the backbone of eflective performance.
Life skills are defined as the ability to solve problems on the personal and prolessional
fronts. They encompass many life situations and involve the use of skills in a responsible and
appropriate way. Life skills are said to span many areas of life such as work, leisure, society,
family, and self.
M.S.G. Hamsah and S.K. Abdullah in an article (www.eurojournals.com) on generic skills

identify the following classes of skills:

Basic/Fundamental skills using numbers and technology
teamwork
People-related skills such as communication and
Personal skills and attributes such as being responsible or resourceful
information
Conceptual/Thinking skills such as collecting and organizing
innovation skills, and so
Skills related to the business world including enterprise skills,
on

skills
Skills related to the community such as civic or citizenship
there
The generic skills have been identüfied in many countries and classified even though
standard. A few samples of life skills
is no definite classification of skills that can be listed as
frameworks have been discussed in the Online
outining the Australian, British, and Canadian
Resource Centre.
Exhibit 1.2 discusses the views of Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, mathematician,

and writer.

Rene Descartes is credited
is equally well recognized.
EXHIBIT 1.2
Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
mathematics
as the father of modern philosophy. His contribution to
coordinate system, so
He is credited with the concept of the Cartesian

(Contd)
 12 Professional Ethics

EXHIBIT 1.2 (Contd)

named after him. He has also contributed to basic mathematical tools of analytical geomete
are important for the development of calculus and other mathematical analysis. Some of hic that
ews
are as follows:
He advocated many philosophical ideas such as the concept of hyperbolical/metaphysical douht
ubt.
He discarded anything about which he had the slightest doubt, and proved its existenceonly
through reasoning.
He believed that thought exists, and as thought exists, I also exist. His famous principle cogito
o
ergo sum (Therefore, I exist) is the result of this reasoning.
He believed that knowledge could only be acquired through deduction as perception is unreliable
He was also aware that his theories could be validated only through experimentation.
He also developed the concept of dualism or body--mind dichotomy. He proposed that the
body works like a machine and it has material properties. The mind, on the other hand, is non-
material and does not follow the laws of nature. The interaction of body and mind takes place
at the pineal gland. The mind controls the body but the body can also control the mind as it
happens when people act out of passion.
Descartes' moral philosophy is based on the idea that morality was the highest and the most
perfect science, having its root in metaphysics. In this way, he tried to prove the existence of
God and investigate the existence of man in nature, and developed the theory of dualism. He
defended free will and stated that reason was sufficient to search for the goods that we
seek.
For him, virtue is the correct reasoning that
guides our actions. Correct reasoning evolves from
knowledge as a well-informed mind can make good choices.
H e advocated: '... all philosophy is like a tree,
of which metaphysics is the root, physics the trunk,
and all the other sciences the branches that grow out of this trunk, which are
reduced to three
principles, namely, medicine, mechanics, and ethics. By the science of morals, I understand the
highest and the most perfect which, presupposing an entire knowledge of the other sciences, is
the last degree of wisdom'

Life Skills (WHO)

World Health Organization (WHO), in its life skill
programmes, has listed 10 life skills as core
skills. The objecúves of the programmes are to
help
in
dealing with conficts, authorities, stress, emotions, and cultural and
making cross-culture relationships and friendships across societies andreligious disharmony
countries
resisting pressure, clarihcation of values and customs, and
negotiations
coping disappointment
planning ahead, assertiveness, and empathy
Sociability, respect, sell-esteem, tolerance, trust, sharing,
compassion, and so forth
The 10 life skills listed by WHO are given in Fig. 1.
A more detailed isang ot hte skills can be in
Online Resource Centre.
seen
Chapter 4 and also in AppendixJ ot ine

Fxhibit 1.3 discusses the views of

Voltaire, a French
belonging to the Enlightenment period. writer, historian, and philosopi
 Basic Concepts 13

Life skills

Emotional skills
Social skills Thinking skills

Coping with stress

Communication Problem solving
Interpersonal Coping with
Decision making
relationship emotions
Creativity
Empathy
Self-awareness Critical thinking

Figure 1.1 Life skills given by WHO

EXHIBIT 1.3
Francois-Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1788)
of freedom
of civil liberties. He was a staunch supporter
Voltaire is famous for his wit and advocacy state. His views
freedom of expression, free trade, and separation of church from the
of religion,
have been outlined as follows: a stance
and was a great social activist. Voltaire took
H e was a staunch supporter of civil liberty of
rationalist materialist philosophers and the spiritualism
between the strict determinism of
deterministic
Voltaire's view was that humans are not
contemporary Christian theologians.
machines of matter and there exists
free will. However, human beings are also governed by
action in a self that possessed the natural light
of reason.
natural laws. His ethics supported right
their own reason could find the proper course of
Voltaire thought that those who understand
of us are incapable of such self-knowledge and self-
free action themselves. However, as many
a social order.
Control, religion was necessary to guarantee
defend to the death your right to say it. Though Voltaire
1 disagree with what you say but I will
never said these words, they
summarize his views on civil liberty.

.Voltaire's idea of liberty also anchored his

hedonistic morality, another key feature Voltaire's
of
writer and his writings had a great share of eroticism
Enlightenment philosophy. He was a prolific
moral freedom through sexual liberty. Voltaire
and sexual innuendos. His writings supported
was also criticized by many as being a
reckless subversive and a threat to legitimate social order.
Voltaire's stance as a free person and his defence of this position through philosophical reasoning
made him a leading force in moral philosophy. He became a key figure in the enlightened
articulation of morality based on bodily pleasure. His ethics was based on the hedonistic theory
of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. He was opposed to the traditional moral teachings
of the period based on priestly celibacy and moral codes of sexual restraint.
He supported the idea religious of freedom
Voltaire was a great advocate of religious tolerance.
and considered all human beings as brothers and sisters to whichever faith or race they belonged.
 14 I Professional Ethics

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Emotional intelligcnce (E) is a recent concept by psychologists to understand how people
perform various functions. Akin to the well-known 1Q (intelligence quotient) that essentially
refers to cognitive domain skills, emotional intelligence is measured by EIQ (emotional
1ntcllhgence quoient). The concept first gained attention by the work ot Salovey and Mayer
(1990). It became a very popular domain for research after the publication of a book titled
Emotional IntelhgenceWy It Ca Malter More Than 1Q by Dr Daniel Goleman.
The definition of EI is changing continuously and the current one, given by Salovey and
Mayer, is 'Emotional intelligence is the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and
emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and
action. There are many models of EI. We will now discuss the Salovey-Mayer model and
Goleman's model.

Ability-based Model (Salovey-Mayer Model)

Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer's conception of EI strives to define it within the confines of
the standard criteria for a new intelligence. Following their continuing research, their intial
definiion of EI was revised to 'he ability to perceive emotion, integrate emotion to facilitate
thought. understand emouons, and to regulate emotions to promote personal growth'.
The ability-based model views emotions as useful sources of informaton that help one to
make sense of and navigate the social environment. The model proposes that individuals vary
in their ability to process information of an emotional nature and in their ability to relate
emouonal processing to a wider cogniion. This ability is seen to manifest itself in certain
behaviours. The model proposes that EI includes four types of abilities:
adaptive
Perceiving emotions This involves the ability to detect and decipher emotions in faces,
pictures, voices, and cultural artifactsincluding the ability to identify one's own emotions.
Perceiving emotions represents a basic aspect of EI, as it makes all other processing of emotional
information possible.

Using emotions This is the ability to harness emotions to lacilitate various cognitive activities,
such as thinking and problem solving. The emotionally intelligent person can capitalize fuly
moods in order to best fit the task at hand.
upon his or her changing
Understanding emotions This refers to the ability to comprehend emotional language
and to appreciate complicated relationships among emouons. For example, understanding of
emouons encompasses the ability to be sensitive to slight variations between emotions, and the
ability to recognize and describe how emotions evolve over time.

Managing emotions This is the ability to regulate emotions in both ourselves and in others.
Therefore, the emotionaly intelligent person can harness emotions, even negative ones, and
manage them to achieve intended goals.
Another model is popular1zed by Daniel Goleman and is known as the competency-based
model.
 Basic Concepts 15

Emotional Competencies (Goleman's Modell

and
The model introduced by Daniel Goleman focuses on EI as a wide array of competencies
four main El constructs:
skills that drive leacdership perlormance. Goleman's model outlines
while
Self-awareness reiers to the ability to read one's emotions and recognize their impact
using gut ieehngs to guide decisions.
and adapung to cnanging
.Sell-managemcnt involves Controlling one's emotions and impulses
circumstances.
while
understand, and react to other's emotions
Social awarencss denotes the abilityto sense,
comprehending social networks.
others grow
Relationship management refers to the ability to inspire, influence, and help
while managing confict.
of El. Emotional
Goleman includes a set of emotional competencies within each construct
that must be worked on and
are not innate talents, but rather learned capabilities
competencies
achieve outstanding performances. Goleman's belief
is that individuals are born
developed to
Goleman's
El that determines their potential for learning emotional competencies.
with a general
and Barsade (2008) as mere pop-psychology.
model of EI has been criticized by Mayer, Roberts, but only skills
has been criticized on the grounds that it is not intelligence
The concept of EI standardized
value. Emotional intelligence is measured through
and that it has no predictive
derived for the individuals.
tests and an EIQis
are looking at is the value of
the concept and its effect on ethical
The important point we
emotions
own and others
As EI is concerned with understanding one's
behaviour of individuals.
on ethical behaviour.
An emouonally
intelligently to situations, it has a bearing
and reacting own emotions and
can act m o r e ethically
because of his ability to manage his
intelligent man

understand others' emotions.

of professionals, it is presumed that EI is an important factor governing one's
In the case
factor in the way
one can surmise that it could be a
professional competency. By intuition,
people behave and react.
coined. This is more appropriate to ethics
that has been
Social intelligence is another term
skills is important, acquiring EI als0
non-technical
life skills or
and morality. Just as acquiring
becomes very important. some form of training? The
remains. Can El be taught through
However, onebasic question
its implications, and its acquisition.
search is on to understand the concept,
skills that a person should
there are many domains of
It may now be understood that
El, though in description, some of them may overlap. In life,
possess-cognitive skills, life skills,
ethical conduct while using all these skills.
these have to be supplemented by

THOUGHTS ON ETHICS
can be found in
existence for a very long ime. In India, they
Ethical canons have been in
from
and scnptures. In the western world, starting
ancient texts such as the Vedas, Upanishads,
who have given prominence to ethical thoughts
Socrates, there have been many philosophers
in their sayings and writings.
 16 Professional Ethics

Indian Thoughts
While many ethical principles are mentioned and discussed in the carlier texts and sCrin
one may' not find an organized philosophy on ethics in these writings. Many humanistic . riptures,
and virtucs or cthical principles are extolled in the Vedas and Upanishads. These inel..
truthfulness, honesty, integrity, philanthropy, gratitude, forgiveness, non-violence, fidelity, and
sO on
The carly periods witnessed the cvolution of the four castes (chatur vamas). Though there w
was
a noble idea behind it, it did not work out as a social justice measure. Each varma had duties

appropriate to their functions.

The life cycle concept of childhood, student, householder, renunciation, and sanyas was als
practised. Each life stage bas its own moral code for people in that group. The Gita expounded
the concept of right of action without any ight lor the fruits of that action.
Subsequent periods also had writings by Manu (Manushastras) and Kautilya (on politics and
business) that talk about the way various human activities had to be performed and the ethica
aspects of these activities.

Buddhist Thoughts
Buddha, who attained enlightenment and preached the basic tenets of Buddhism, had given
hve basic canons for people to follow. These refer to absinence

hurting/killing any living creature

stealing others' property;
wrong and excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures;
telling lies; and
taking intoxicants;
Buddhism is essentially ethical principles based on virtucs as Buddha extolled
traits such
people to acquire
tuthfulness, righteousness, benevolence, compassion, sympathy, abstinence,
as

patience, and purity. Buddha also rejected the concept of caste and race based on birth.
There are many saints and sadhus who have discussed the
some of the recent thinkers on the
right way of life. Thc views of
subject are discussed in the following sub-sections:
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda was a great
philosopher who influenced ethical thinking by preaching all
over the world. Swami
Vivekananda, whose actual name was Narendra Nath, was born in an
afluent family in Kolkata on 12 January 1863 to Vishwanath
Datta, a successful lawyer, and
Bhuvaneshwari Devi. He was endowed with profound faith and a
strong character. He graduated
from Calcutta University and had
acquired considerable knowledge of western philosophy
and history. He was associated with the Brahmo
movement for some time. His spiritual inclination
was evident since childhood, as he used to
practise meditation even as a child.
His meeting with his guru Sri Ramakrishna occurred
when he visited the latter to ask
the existence of God. Ramakrishna was able to about
convince him about the existence of God ad
had a great infuence on the future life of young Narendra.
He was so greatly influenced by
his guru that later, he made it his mission in life to
spread his guru's thoughts across the Word
 Basic Concepts 17

lis avldress at the Workd larhanent of Religions in 1893 brought him into prominence as a
orator and thinker.
gTcat
Afew salient aspects of his ethical thoughts can be sumarized as follows:

H e advocatrd momsn, meang that the whole world is one. It is in this concept that lies the
explanation for ethies, nmorality, and spirituality.
Ethics is only the neans to an end. One should be clear about the end and that alone clarifies
the meaning of cthics.
The basic principle of cthics is the Vedantic idea that you are the infinite.
.The fecling of oneness represented by 'l am the universe' is at the centre ofall ethical thinking
and results in doing good to others.
While your senses say 'myscltfirst, ethics says 'I am last'
When the means are right, the results must come; attention to means, theretore, is the secret

of success in life.
.Uitarianism and ethical codes based onit are for a particular time only. Ethical codes bascd
on spirituality relate us to the infinite and embrace the socicty as well.
.Work for lessening misery as that is the only wayyou can attain happiness.

Mahotma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi was one of the

popularly
M.K. Gandhi was born on 2 October
greatest leaders the world has seen in recent times.
1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. He studied law from the University of London. After unsuccessfiul
in South Africa. The apartheid system in South
attempts at practising law, he joined firm
a

Africa gave him his first taste of white domination and colonialism.
Gandhiji, popularly called the Mahatma and fondly called Bapu, was the most prominent
the Nation, he was
leader in India's struggle for freedom. Also recognized as the Father of
instrumental in a non-violent movement that finally won India its freedom.
ethical tenets.
Mahatma Gandhi was one of the leaders who believed in some fundamental
truth (and the originator of
He staunchly believed that satyagraha, literally meaning desire for
the civil disobedience movement), and ahimsa, meaning non-violence, will be very powerful
movement that
tools to make the British colonial rulers accept India's quest for freedom. The
he spearhecaded was unique in the history of the world for the mass base it was able to generate
and the non-violent means that it adopted.
In addition to being a political leader, Mahatma was also a leader of the people by identifying
himself with them. He was able to generate their support by setting an example with the way
he lived. He propounded many theories of a self-reliant rural economy and worked incessantly
towards the abolition of untouchability and empowerment of women.
A few salient thoughts of the Mahatma on ethics are listed as follows:

Sympathize with every human being as that will help you practise the highest form of ethics.
Amoral act should come from within, from your own free will.
The means must be good; impure means result in impure end.
External actions must be performed with mental purity and in selfless spirit.
The highest form of morality is altruism.
18 Professional Ethics

True cconomics never nilitates against the highest cthical standards.

conmics that hurts an individual or a society cannot be ethical.
Lile should become progressively simpler and we shoulad become more self-restrainod
ned.
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore was born in 1861 in Bengal. He had his early education at home
his
and
later went to England for formal schooling. He did not complete stucdies there and returned
rned
home. He started his experimental school at Santiniketan where he tried the Upanishaci
ic
ideals of cducation.
Rabindranath Tagore was an erudie scholar, poet, philosopher, and writer. His earl
wntings in Bengali included poems that were translated for the readers of the West and
early
ame
very popular. Rabindra Sangect is a living lradition ot his music and still very popular. He
Wrote many poems, plays, essays, dramas, travel diaries, and autobiographies. He won e
Nobel prize for literature for Gilanjali.
Some salient thoughts of Rabindranath Tagore on ethics are as follows:

The spiritual aspect of man represents sympathy and love while the moral side represents
unselfishness and control over desires. They should be taken together and not separated ever
A moral ife is one where a man goes from a life of desire to a life ofpurpose by building his
character.
We achieve perfection in life by perpetually giving up.
A moral rhythm must be maintained in all creations to save them from destruction.
Man's greed exaggerates the lust for sensual pleasures. This breaks the harmony in life and
we lose true values.

Sri Aurobindo
Sri Aurobindo was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 15 August 1872. He completed his
school and college education in London. After returning to India, he worked in Baroda for a
number of years in the service of the Maharaj, while teaching in a college. His first stint in the
freedom struggle was during this period, when he joined in the planning of an uprising against
the British rule.
He then returned to Kolkata and was the first revolutionary to put forth the idea of complete
independence to India. He went to jail a number of times for his revolutionary writings
He renounced politücs in 1910 and began spiritual pursuits. He spent the next 40 years m
Pondicherry where he lounded the Aurobindo Ashram. He propounded the concept of integral
yoga, which not only liberates man's consciousness, but also transforms his nature.
His salient thoughts on ethics are as follows:
O u r actual enemy is not any force exterior to ourselves, but our own crying weaknesses, Our
cowardice, our selfishness, our hypocrisy, our purblind sentimentalism.
.Goodness and not uülity must be the yardstick for the attainment of virtue.
ct
.Uilitarianism means reducing ethical action to moral mathematics but is alien to the
and intuition of the ethical being.
. Human perlecuon 1s attained through will, character, self-discipline, and self-mastery.
 Basic Concepts 19

Ethics does not lie in the calculation of good and evil but in the attempt to grow into divine
Et
nalure.

. Virtuc cvolves out ol our struggle to overcome our pleasure-seeking nature.

Global Thoughts on Ethics

Western thoughtson ethics havealong history,Great thinkers such Socrates have propounded many
as

ethical canons. For some ume, cthics was governed by the church during the peak of the Christian era.
More recent thinkers include Gagne, Kohlberg, Cilligan, and Kant who ctvclt on moral development
theornes. The recent thoughts on westerm cthics are discussed in detail in Chapter 3. The pnniples
laid down by a few stalwarts ofwestem philosophy have been explained in the following secbons

Socrates
and thinker, he wrote
Socrates (469-399 BC) was bom in Athens. Though a great philosopher
is known about
nothing. The Socratean method was one of questionanswer and much of what
The dialectic mcthod is
Socratcs comes Irom the wntings of his disciples Plato and Aristotle.
the
crcdited to Socrates. By quesion1ng people on their assertions, this mcthod hnally proves
Socrates was impnsoned tor
right position on the subject. Socrates himself never took any stand.
to death.
corruping the youth and working against the religion of the country. He was sentenccd
He drank poison in the company of his friends and died.
Socrates defined virtue as knowledgc and believed that if one knows good,
one will always do
mmeans. These thoughts, popularly
good. Those who practise cvil do not know what goodness
known as Socratic paradoxes, have been isted as tollows:

N o onc desires cevil.

No onc errs or does wrong willingly or knowngly

Virtueall virtue is knowledge.
Virtue is suflicicnt for happiness.

Plato has descrilbed

Whatever is known about Sorates is lrom the writngs of his disciples.
Socrates' thoughts very elaborately. Many scholars believe th:at it is impossible to distinguish

Socrates thinking from that of Plato, A lew of the major ide.as and observ.alions made by
Socrates have been listed as follows:

The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance,

Having the fewest wants I am nearest to the Gods.

There is nothing stable in human allairs; avod undue clation in prosperity and undur
depression in adversity.
The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing.
To find yourself, think for yourself.
I teach anybody anvthing, I can only make them think.
cannot

Educaion is the kindling of a flame and not the filling of a vesel.

l f you don't get what you want. you sutler. it you get whal you don't want, you sutler;
even

on to it forevr.
when vou get exacly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold
of paun, free of the
Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change, free
 20 Professional Ethics

changes law and no amount ol vill al.

pretending will alter that
obhgalions of ilc and death. But
fealiy
world.
amnot an Athenian or Greck but a cilizen of the
Lontentment is naniral wealh, luxury 1s artiteal poverty.
your timc in impro1ingvoursell by other men s
writings so that you shall come
mplo
by what others havc labored hard for.
casily
Tron the decprst desiresoften come the deadlicst hate.
The seeret of happincss, you see, is notfournd in seeking more, but in developing
ping the
the capacity
to enjov less.
Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprou

thy faults
Exhihit14 talks about the philosophyofJohn Locke, aBritish philosopher, Oxford acadea
and medical
Jemic,
a
professional.
EXHIBIT 1.4
John Locke (1632-1704)
John Locke held some government positions before becoming a philosopher. The essence of
Locke's philosophy is his opposition to authoritarianism. He asserted that authoritarianism must
be curbed at the level of the individual and the state. In the individual>'s case, Locke suggested
that we use reason to search for the truth and not be guided by others' opinions or superstitions,
Institutions should similarly function legitimately and this alone will cause individuals and the
institutions to flourish both at the material and spiritual level.
He advocated religious tolerance and proposed the following three reasons:
Individuals and the state are incapable ofevaluating the truth of rival religious groups.
Enforcement of any religious thoughts will be counter-productive.
Forcing any uniform religious beliefs will lead to more disorders than allowing religious diversity.
Locke defines self as a thinking thing, capable of feeling pleasure, pain, happiness, andmisery He
also postulates the importance of the material body. The self is thus a self-aware and self-reflective
consciousness residing in a material body. Unlike the earlier positions taken by Descartes, Locke
Suggested an empty mind, tabula rasa, which isshaped by ourexperience, sensations, and reflections
that are responsible for all our thoughts. Locke firmly believed that education makes a man whatever
he may be--good or bad. The foundation for this is his concept that the mind is like an empty cabinet
and education must ensure that no negative associations are fostered while educating the child.

Confucius
Confucius (551-479 BC) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher who is credited with
the well-known saying, 'Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. He is a
follower of the principle of virtue ethics. He emphasized on the following ethical principles:
Personal and government morality
Correctness ofsocial relationships
Justice and sincerity
 Basic Concepts 21

ancestor worship, and respect for clders

.Family loyalty,
.Superiority ofpersonal excmplilication over explicit rules of behaviour
Self cultivation
Emulation of moral exemplars
Attainment of skilled judgement rather than the knowledge of rules

Doing proper things at the propcr time

Maintaining existing norms to peipetuate an ethical social fabric
Violating rules in order to get ethical good
someone whom
Let us now understand the last point using an example: You are approached by
You know
you know to
be a confidence trickster, asking for the address ofsomebody in the locality.
universal valuc. But here, should
the address and the person living there well. Telling the truth is a
him that
You are not sure what uhe person will do with the address. So you tell
you tell the truth?
you do not know
the address. It is highly likely that some good may result from telling this lie.

VALUE EDUCATION
that
The term value education has come into focus in recent times. There is a general feeling
there has been considerable erosion of values in the society and this has to be set right by
value education to students in schools and colleges. Some people feel that
studying
providing
the term value educaion is a misnomer because if education does not imbibe values, it is not
cducation atll. The objectives of education are not to teach Newton's laws and mathematical
theorems alone, but to develop human beings with knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values.
Educaion is believed to be incomplete if it does not inculcate values in students. Values are
closely linked to ethics. Right values hlp us to live ethically.

Current Scenario
One of the reasons why value education has come into focus is the current social, economic,
and political scenario. Whatever we see around us is presumed to be due to the degeneration
in values amongst people and within systems. An analysis of the current scenario shows some
depressing fcatures.
Violence is evoked by trivial issues causing damage to property and life. We have forgotten
Mahatma Gandhi's emphasis on non-violent struggle as the path to attain our goals. We have
become a violent society with little tolerance.

The exposure of corruption cases in our country has caused much concern. Our greed and
ambitions have no limits and people are stooping to any level to get what they want. The
tragedy is that we have been found to accept it as a act of life and are ready to live with it.
Corruption eats into the very fabric of democracy and value systems and creates conditions
of anarchy and lawlessness. The fact that
corruption is most prevalent among lawmakers and
has found its way into the judiciary is a matter of
even
greater concern.
We have also lost faith in the structures and
systems of governance. Though the executive,
egislature, and judiciary are keen on maintaining the smooth functioning of a democrauc
 22 Professional Ethics

gOVTmment, hc politicians who lom thc execuuve arm have a very poor imao
ge helore the
pubhc. The legal machinery is, again, scen as a monster not helping the public hu
them and has been largeh inetfective. Latcly, judicial activism has come into
ito promincn
that people have only little laith in
varassing
prominCnce buti
he
judiciary itsclfis
so mired in rontrovesy thejudicial
We live in a country of riches that can provide quahty lile to one and all. The n ,
. system.
The materi
resources arc plenty; our human resources are known to cqual any other group al
World. In addition, the country has a nech cultural heritage. Yet, we arc a d the
couniry with a huge population and wmthout the wherewithal to have three meals
Uncqual distribution of wealth kecps 30-40 per cent ol the population below the
devel
cals aopiday
ng
line.Whatever action the government takes to help the poor subsidized and pove
food and
d food relay
rel:
measuresincur such huge losses that the benehciaries do not receive the benefiis. Thi
agic instance of mismanagement ol resources.
lobally, mistrust amongst countries has grown so much that every time it appears we
are
on the verge of a third world war. The amount of money that countries spend on defen.
nce
preparedness is colossal.
The total military expenditnure of these ten counties totals 1.29 tnillion dollars, Thic
is
not only for defence preparedness but also combat terrorism in various forms. If a na.
to
o part
this expenditure can be saved, we can feed millions of poor people in the world. Thie
is
need lor militarizaion of the whole world is a clear example of the society discarding some
e
fundamental values. Globally, there is a need to the importance of
appreciate sharingglobal
wealth and cnsuring equity for one's own prosperity (see Chapter 7).
One generation learns from the previous generation. The various aspects of the current
scenario shows that one generation has failed to show the way for the next generation.
The
wawardness in the generation is a clear indication that he previous generation has failed to
set exanmples to folow.

Objectives of Value Education

A person attains lasting values by conviction. There are many kinds of values such as personal,
family, social, acsthetic, and spiritual. The objectives of value education are listed here:
Create an awareness and appreciation of the right values to be imbibed for peaceful and
harmonious co-existence.
Appreciate the importance of values in personal and professional life.
Develop a personal value system that guides one through life.
Develop a passion for right values in life.
Have the convicion and capacity to influence others to follow the right values.

Importance of Value Education

Value education cultivates essential valuesin people. Value education is not limited to schools and
colleges. It is important to every one. The right values and attitudes need to be developed amongst
youngsters in schools and colleges as they have more pliable minds that can be easily convinced.
Education should inherenty include value education. Every teacher, whatever subject he/she
may be teaching, has a responsibility towards value education. Through his/her behaviour
 Basic Concepts 23

and he y e ol learning expeiCnces tiat he/she has designed, the tcacher must try to culuvate
sential values in stiudents. Having a separate subjcct on moral clucation or value education
should not deter other teachers from fulfilhng their own responsibilities.
Itis necesary to inculcate the ight values in students because these ideals guide them through
their lives. A pcrson without the right values will have thoughts and perform actions that will not
be good for him/her and others. The goals one sets for onesclf nmay not be good ancd the means
one uses to achieve them may also not be proper. Valuc education helps an individuad in fve

ways
I t guides us in living our life well. When we live our life well, it not only helps us but also helps

others.
. I helps us find true happiness and peace in life that cannot be acquired irom matenal
wcalth
lor
It helps us make others happy. Makingothers happy is as important as finding happmess
oneself. It also deal with people and
helps us cvents in the best possible way. Values help us

face challenges in the most ethical way.

I t helps us achieve our goals in an ethical manner. Every one ofus has objectives, asprations,
and ambitions.

It guides us to set appropriate goals in life. Once we have set our goals, values guide us in

using appropriate means to achieve those goals.

Acquiring Values
Values are acquired by individuals in two ways: natural acceptance and experience. The way

one acquires values has been described by the taxonomy of alfective by Krathwohl et al.
domain
One goes through a complex process that involves receiving, responding, valuing, organizing,
and characterizing. These are explained in detail in Chapter 10. Natural acceptance is a process

by which we accept what is told right value without much questuoning or thinking.
to us as the
Natural acceptance generally occurs during early childhood.
in the past, naturally cultivated values
The Gunukul system of education, prevalent in India
an carly age. The education system of
the country has undergone large-
among children at
have made it impossible for teachers
scale changes and the many technological developments
various sources. This makes it all the more
and parents to control what students imbibe from
to have a formal system of value
education that locuses on the young minds to acqire
necessary
the right values.
The second source 1s personal expeiences. You can acqure appropnate values from your

successes, and lailures.

As we go through ditferent rypes of experiences with
experiences, your
we must learn and internalize
the values.
right
events and people,

DIMENSIONS OF ETHICS
conlined to the single paradigm of right or
As human endeavours grow, ethics does not remain
have evoked several ethical issues and intense
wrong. Developments in science and technology
debates. Along with this development, various branches of ethics have evolved.
24 Professional Ethics

of the cngincering profcssion.

with ethical aspects
ethics dcals
Engnecring DNA mapping, and so o n .
Bioethics deals with issues such as cloning,
such as cuthanasia (mercy killing) that late to th
reln
ledical cthics is concerned with issues
medical profession.
Lnvironmental cthics deals with the management of the ecosystem that is vital tto human
CXIstence.
and mulimedia inlormation techn.
Media cthics including newspapers, televISIon, ogy
and so on.
Tciers io issucs of privacy, sting operations,
and minimal all new brancha.
right ethics are
Compucr ethics, human rights ethics, that
have evolhved with time. Some of the cthical issues under these disCiplines will be discusseel
in
Chapters 4 and 7.

SETTING GOALS IN LIFE

A poster reads as follows: What you are is God's gift to you. What you become is your oif
to God. Setting goals in life is an important aspect of your development. Tt is all the ore
important for young people. Imitation is a basic trait in human beings. Unlortunately, we find
it ditticult to find perfect, living persons to imitate.
While setting goals in life, an important point to remember is the moral and ethical aspects of
our personal and professional lifc. We should not become part of the prevaiing rat race. Today,
not only is lile fast-paced, but we also believe in getting quick returns from the goals we pursue.
It is the order of the day to achieve our objectives in the shortest possible time by any means.
This has led to social conflicts. Though we all want to live in peace, our uncontrolled ambitions
and an 'end justifies the means' attitude in all walks of life has attained dangerous proportions.
In your personal ife, set goals to lead a
blemish-tree lite. In today's world, the motto
Avinash is so immersed is 'do not follow the crowd'. Have your own
in his geography book.
Ishould make him
ethical standards consistent with your belicfs
something nice to eat. and the standards of the society you are living
in. It takes courage to lead an ethical life. Do
not forget that you may appear to lose in the
beginning but in the end you will have all the
peace and happiness you are looking for.
In professional ife, you may have a lik1ng
for a particular profession. Pursue it further
to qualify for that profession. Hard work
is the only way to succeed. Your choice o
arc
profession 1s very important. There
many types of people holding various jobs
these days. Only a lucky few get to do the
job they like. Many others do not like their
Archies versus geography to
jobs, but still have the will and tenacity
 Basic Concepts 25

I haven't
like and do them prolessiomally, Many others
accounted for arc in jobs they do not like and just drag on
recession if without doing justice to the job they are in.
that happens
again
The follgwing are some of the areas in which
ernai goals nerd to be set:

Acquiring knowledge and skills You

have probably sclected your arca ol
cducation as engincering. You may have
selected this from various ficlds available.
Even if you have made a selection, think
and decide on an
again by brainstoming
idcal cducation that suits you. These days
Il 1s Common to hnd engneers pursuing a
degree or preparing for the civil
managenment
Services.

Setting goals Career options that must be looked

into lf you are going to be an engineering
professional, you have the option of working in the shop floor, in the design ofhice, in marketing
and so on. You have to select the one that matches your personality and skill sets.

Mental health You must set goals and pursue a regimen that gives you a healthy body and
mental acumen. Leading a life based on ethical principles will give you the mental health you

are looking for.

Marriage and family You must plan when to get married, how many children to have, and
how to lead your 1amily life.

Social life You should also consider your social life. Friendships and close relations have to

be regarded.
You need to think about your behaviour, attitudes, and interests. If you feel something is
it and make a plan to achieve it.
wrong or not to your liking, make eftorts to improve upon
Financial goals must be set. Questions such as how much to eam and how you can earn need
to be resolved so that you set financial goals for yourself.
While hard work is required to achieve goals in life, you must also look at modes of relaxation
and enjoyment. Set goals to find time for yourself and your family.
Set goals and find time to pursue your hobbies. It is also important in life, post career.

While setting goals in life, it is important to take a holistic approach and look at the larger
picture of your life. One has to be focused to achieve that picture you have imagined for yourself.
As you sit down to think and set goals for yourself, think of the following criteria:

List the goals as positive statements.

Be precise and accurate in your wriung
Write down the goals on paper for later reconsideration and modificaion.