PRAHAAR ReDEFINED 3.

0: Ethics

Difficulty in Determining the Morally Right Action: There is a lack of moral judgement in virtue ethics. A person
may be virtuous but he/she may still not be able to distinguish right action from wrong action especially if he/she is
not knowledgeable in a particular field.
Example - Despite being a virtuous person, Sarah's lack of expertise in finance led her to make poor
investment decisions, highlighting the importance of knowledge and moral judgement in virtue ethics
Lack of Moral Judgment in Virtue Ethics: There can be situations in which virtues enter into conflict with one
another.
Example - If a person comes across a dilemma of his/her friend being brought to trial and he/she is a
witness.

SOCRATES
He was born in Athens in 470 BC and is popular for his dialogues and debates with public figures and authorities of
the time. This technique is termed Maieutics.
Socrates Philosophy:
Scrutiny and Exploration: In the words
By this philosophy, he builds a scientific temper which further paves for a
scientific revolution in Europe.
Example - The recent trends of fake messages via social messaging sites often tend to create conflict
between communities in India. This is because of not examining the facts.
Courage: It depicts the ability to speak the truth, and objectivity.
Example - A major chunk of the world believes in Chinese aggression but they fail to speak up due to
financial dependency on China.
Ethics of Happiness: According to him the only virtue is knowledge and the only sin is ignorance. He valued
knowledge that can lead to an ethical life.
Example - The death of V G Siddhartha (Owner of Cafe Coffee Day) shows money is not the source
of happiness but it's true knowledge.
Conflicting Promise: In the case of conflicting promises one should follow a promise that has higher moral worth.
Example - India had promised double digit growth in the 2018-20 budget and its constitution also
promises social nature. Thus during the pandemic the government prioritised the welfare of people over
its economic aims.
Ideal Life: An ideal life should focus on self-development, especially the pursuit of goodness, virtue, justice,
integrity, and friendship. Valuing virtues like love, friendship, courage, truth takes an individual far more than
others due to his ideal values.
Example - Sarah's commitment to cultivating virtues such as kindness, honesty, and integrity leads her
to lead a fulfilling life filled with meaningful relationships and personal growth.
Individual-level: True knowledge is the basis of ethical life thus one should stay away from superstation, feudal
mindset, fake news, and misinformation.
Example- Practices like mutilation, fake news like the corona virus spread by religious groups hamper
our journey towards an ethical life.
Societal Level: Socrates' philosophy encourages critical thinking and questioning societal norms, promoting
intellectual discourse for the betterment of society.
Example- Mahatma Gandhi's principles, such as nonviolent resistance and questioning unjust
authority, became a guiding force in India's struggle for independence.
Governance Level: Socrates' philosophy emphasises the importance of wisdom, self-examination, and moral
integrity in governance for the benefit of the entire society.
Example - When our government favours PM-Garib Kalyan Yojana of free food over Fiscal
responsibility highlights valuing morally high promise.

PLATO
He was a Greek philosopher and disciple of Socrates and a teacher to Aristotle.

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