Ethics and Human Interface

Ethics
Consequences of ethics (why be moral/ethical?)
Dimensions of Ethics
Features of ethics
Sources/determinants of ethics
Family as source of ethics
Education institute as source of ethics
Society as source of ethics
Religion as source of ethics
Conscience as determinant of ethics
Ethics in relationships
Stages of ethics development (Kohlberg)

Ethics
Standards of human conduct determined collectively by society for itself

Consequences of ethics (why be moral/ethical?)

individual:

framework for decision-making

consistency in decision-making

ultimate and lasting satisfaction (vs wealth, fame etc)

help others → inner peace and satisfaction

better expectations of what to expect from others → trust in society

sense of identity; life of meaning and substance

respect in society

likely to achieve greater success in life (eg: Kiran Bedi, JRD Tata)

society:

need fewer laws

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 greater consensus on values → efficient society (eg: Japan's self-serving
shops)

culture of tolerance and inclusivity

equity in society → move towards path of collective prosperity (eg:

Scandinavian societies)

lower crime rates

respect for environment, sustainable development

Dimensions of Ethics
normative ethics: deontological, teleological, virtue ethics

descriptive/comparative ethics: comparison of ethical beliefs across individuals,

societies etc

applied ethics:

environment ethics: responsible production and consumption, EPR, climate

justice, polluter pays

cyber ethics: privacy, respect, tolerance, responsibility, IPR, decency

medical ethics: Hippocratic oath, triage

bio-ethics: genetic editing, IPR, vaccine nationalism, zoonotic research (WIV,

NCBS bat research in Nagaland)

meta-ethics: ethics about ethics (eg: what is meant by a wrong action?)

Features of ethics
unattainable: with each achievement, the bar moves higher → journey >>
destination

some mutable: patriarchy, racism, shift from development to sustainable

development etc; others immutable

some relative, others universal

Sources/determinants of ethics

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 Kohlberg's 6 stages for value inculcation

Dr Kalam: there are three societal members that can make a huge
impact in an individual's life: mother, father, teacher

society:

Shared history

societal norms: enforced via moral pressure, societal influence

Religion, philosophy

Prominent leaders and thinkers: social influence and persuasion (eg: 19th C
reforms)

laws, rules and regulations (eg: Navtej Singh Johar judgement)

exposure to other societies:

globalisation → reduced casteism, communalism, patriarchy; promoted

individualism and liberty; changing familial values

individual:

parenting

education

socialisation: peers, colleagues

all sources of ethics for society

Family as source of ethics

how?

contact theory: personal touch from parents → mature, emotionally secure and
stable, compassionate, calm and composed children

family members carry authority around child → guide their behavior in right
direction

incentive structure: rewards and punishments; praise and criticism

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 role models for future: sons emulate father in future interactions with other sex

families make special effort to impart values to children: bedtime stories, narrate
incidents, intervene when they make a mistake

family gatherings → lesson in respect, courtesy, friendliness etc

rules and regulations in house: followed to uphold household order and stability

familial customs and traditions: cleaning house for Diwali, touching feet of
elders as respect

observe and emulate behavior: love, empathy, discipline, conflict-resolution (eg:

Dr Kalam)

conflict-prone household with shouting → child with short temper

stable household → curiosity, scientific temper, maturity

sibling → sharing, competition

strengths of family for socialization:

child like mould of clay in early years → socialization has maximum impact

child spends maximum time of formative years with family

right to take actions against errant behavior: scolding, punishments etc

first point of response for child's queries, help

family trusted by child → familial interventions have high impact

genetically similar → similar innate traits → likely to have similar experiences

(eg: siblings with experiences of bullying)

family with diverse composition: parents, grandparents, siblings etc → exposure

to diverse perspectives

family permanent presence in life → continue to oversee individual behavior

challenges with family

nuclear family → less inculcation of values without grandparents

both parents working → less time with children → insecurity, poorer value
inculcation

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 can suppress individual liberty (making decisions for child, not allowing child to
experience failure)

can inculcate orthodox and regressive ideals: patriarchy, communalism etc;

exposure at early age → entrenched in mind

conflicting values encouraged by different family members (grandparents:

conservative, unconditional love; parents: liberal, tough stance to inculcate
lessons)

families often practice different from teachings (integrity and bribery,

environment ethics and littering) → hypocrisy, loss of faith of individual in ethics

globalised period → values of materialism, competition and rat-race

encouraged instead of holistic values (eg: emotion management) → suicides

teenage rebellious phase → more likely to listen to peers

Education institute as source of ethics

Education is the most important weapon to change the world

how?

teacher first important point of external socialization at early age (3-4y) →

significant influence

teacher carries authority → inculcate respect for rules, discipline; correct errant
behavior through praise-criticism

role model for behavior, speaking style etc

group activities → leadership, team coordination, empathy

interaction with numerous peers → social skills, compromise, sharing, learn

from each others' mistakes

diverse peer group → respect for diversity, tolerance, mutual respect

curriculum makes individual aware and imparts skills for financial independence
→ liberty

curriculum exposes individuals to lives of great personalities → motivation,

ethical values

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 case studies, community projects, school trips → rational analysis of societal
issues

debates, discussions → strengthen confidence, remove inhibitions

high degree of rule enforcement → discipline, punctuality

strengths of education institute:

receive child at early age of 4y → can mould child's behavior

permanent presence of individual's life from 4y to 18y (usually 22y and beyond)

unlike family, education regulated for excellence, inclusivity etc → progressive

ideals inculcated

rules with penalties to enforce them → inculcate discipline, respect for rules,
equality

students care about peer group's perception → respond to praise and criticism
in public

challenges with education institute:

disparity in idealistic education and realistic conduct by teachers and peers →

loss of faith in education

family and society can have overriding effect on individual (eg: young civil
servants asking for dowry despite high educational qualifications)

curriculum outdated, not adapted to local contexts → limited connection

education focused on creating skilled professionals; limited focus on inculcating

values: self-awareness, emotion management

peer groups can be a bad influence: over-competition, bullying, misogynistic,

narcotics

teachers often discourage novel thinking, focus on rote → curtail scientific

temper, curiosity

disparity in quality and accessibility

Society as source of ethics

how?

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 societal moral pressure to conform to norms

fear of ostracization → ensure compliance with norms

societal traditions and norms (eg: charity to poor), community events to build
fraternity and trust

religion: fear of and devotion to supernatural to emphasize moral behavior

societal role models → social influence, persuasion to affect individual behavior

politics: political issues, debates and promises impact individual values (trust in
system vs loss of faith)

political campaigns often invoke parochial identities of caste and religion

development politics → fraternity, collective welfare (eg: Bihar electoral

campaign on job creation)

economy: socialism → equality and inclusive growth; capitalism → liberty,

innovation, creativity

media: highlight issues that people value, present structured analysis and
debates on issues

civil society organizations → promote progressive ideals (eg: ADR for clean
politics, ASER on inclusive and quality education)

strengths:

man is a social animal → strong urge to be accepted (3rd rung in Maslov's

pyramid)

continuous presence in individual's life from birth to death

societal morals are relatively persistent

boycott and ostracisation to enforce societal norms

diverse mix of individuals: economic, social, political identities → exposure to

variety of perspectives

numerous individuals with credibility: scientists, social activists, political leaders,

religious leaders etc

challenges:

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 often inculcate orthodox and regressive ideals: patriarchy, casteism,
communalism

dominance of rich and powerful in societal norms, to exclusion of SCs, poor etc

can curtail individual liberty: khap panchayats, honor killings

diverse sections with diverse values → confusion, loss of faith

hypocrisy in preaching and practice → loss of faith in societal ethics

can be at variance with individual morals (eg: my friend against drinking due to
family experience but societal morals celebrate social drinking)

Religion as source of ethics

how?

strengths

challenges:

can repress individual liberty

can be regressive (untouchability, women entry in Sabarimala)

little scope for rationality and logic

can encourage superstitions and dogmas (eg: disabled children half-buried in

ground during solar eclipse to 'cure' them)

can prioritize form over function (ritualism, worship without sacrifice)

can be divisive (eg: mob lynchings etc)

multiple instances of corruption (corrupt mahants in Sikh gurudwaras, alleged

corruption in Tirupati)

Hinduism:

karma: our acts determine our future; salvation as ultimate goal

Gita: nishkam karmayog; dharma yog, karma yog, gyan yog, bhakti yog

Buddhism:

madhyamika marga: avoiding paths of extremity

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 stress on conquering desires; world is transient (mara)

non-violence, non-ownership

equality and tolerance for all

Jainism:

Aparigraha: non-ownership; Asteya:

importance of discipline

Conscience as determinant of ethics

Gandhi: there is a higher court than the courts of law; it is the court
of conscience

inner voice based on own values that guides our conduct; guilt, dissonance and
turmoil on acting against conscience

benefits:

first response to any situation; instant in nature

conscience is intellectual decision → allows individual to bypass animal

instincts and impulsiveness

accessibility: each individual has a conscience

promotes ethical conduct through guilt, dissonance and turmoil

laws by their nature are incomplete; conscience allows ethical interpretation for
public welfare

enable person to challenge prevailing societal norms and laws (eg: 19th C
reforms)

fewer laws, easier implementation with greater dependence on conscience

challenges:

strength of conscience and willpower varies from individual to individual

individual may choose to override conscience in face of adversities

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 subjective in nature → individuals with well cultivated conscience may interpret
differently (eg: taxation regimes) → need laws for consensus

intrinsic checks not sufficient with people; need external check like laws

Ethics in relationships
private ethics: love and care, honesty, accountability, secrecy, empathy

public ethics: accountability, transparency, rule of law, neutrality, empathy and

compassion

should be separate?

distress in one should not affect the other (eg: civil servant expected to perform
at par regardless of his private relationships)

different values need to be maintained in the two spheres

different set of relationships

avoid conflict of interests

but disparity in private and public values can cause dissonance and make a
person feel hypocrite

complete disparity between the two isn't humanely possible

common values require convergence in approach (eg: accountability,

honesty)

convergence brings social influence and persuasion

public ethics affects private ethics:

professional success can bring joy and satisfaction in private relationships

professional experiences can guide private relationships (eg: gender

sensitisation workshops affect behaviour towards spouse)

harsh realities of public relationships (transactional) → appreciate unconditional

care in private relationships (friends, family)

work pressure can bring stress into private relationships, reduce availability in
private relationships

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 private ethics affects public ethics:

private relationships crucial in determining emotional wellbeing → affect

performance and ethics in public life

ability to maintain strong vibrant relationships → warmth and meaning in public

relationships

experiences in private relationships → beliefs in favor of/against community

(religion, caste etc)

conflict of interests

Public vs private relationships

Public relationships Private relationships

important values: trust,

important values: affection, confidentiality, honesty, trust
accountability, transparency
exist in public sphere:
exist in private setting: household, family, friend circle etc
colleagues, seniors, society
can be voluntary (friendships) or involuntary (family
usually voluntary by nature
relationships)
rational and transactional in
emotional and non-transactional in nature
nature
usually last a short time usually last much longer
less margin for errors and
there is scope for mistakes and error
mistakes
regulated by laws, rules, code largely unregulated and informal in nature (there can be laws to
of conduct etc prevent exploitation like Dowry Prohibition act)
violations attract legal,
violations typically not published, may attract societal loss of
professional, social
reputation
implications
driven primarily by rationality driven by emotions and rationality

Stages of ethics development (Kohlberg)

0-5y: child told what to do

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 5-10y: reward-penalty structure

10-15y: praise-criticism based reinforcement mechanism

15-20y: obey rules to uphold an order in household, society etc; 90% stay at this
stage of ethical development

20-25y: social contract (being ethical is beneficial for self and for the society)

>25y: internalization of ethics by developing own variations of values (eg: Bhagat

Singh)

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