Essence of Ethics, Principles, Absolute vs Relative Ethics, Morality

Ethics refers to the systematic study of right and wrong human conduct based on reason, values and moral judgment. It helps individuals and societies decide what ought to be done to ensure justice, dignity and human well being. The Essence of Ethics lies in understanding its core nature and purpose, beyond customs, laws, or traditions. Ethics acts as a moral compass that guides voluntary human actions, balances individual freedom with collective welfare and promotes fairness, responsibility and respect. It is deeply connected to human consciousness, social life and the pursuit of a meaningful and morally sound life.

Essence of Ethics

The Essence of Ethics means its intrinsic and indispensable qualities that define its character and purpose. It focuses on what makes ethics ethical, such as distinguishing good from bad, guiding moral choices and shaping responsible human behavior. Ethics is not innate but develops through interaction between individual consciousness and social environment, including culture, law and values. At its core, ethics evaluates voluntary human actions using reason and moral reflection. It transcends legal rules and social norms by appealing to justice, dignity and human well being, making it a foundational pillar of civilized human existence.

Also Read: Determinants of Ethics

Essence of Ethics Principles

The principles of ethics explain how moral understanding develops from basic moral awareness to deeper rational evaluation. These principles show that ethics begins with intuition, grows through reflection and matures through systematic reasoning and study.

1. The First Principle is self evident and intuitively known by all humans. It cannot be erased from the human heart and forms the base of moral consciousness. People instinctively know that injustice, cruelty and hatred are wrong, even without formal education or laws. This principle supports moral intuitionism, which states that “good” is indefinable and moral truths exist independently of social approval.
2. The Secondary Principle is derived from the first principle and requires reflection and reasoning. It helps humans interpret moral intuition in real life situations. Concepts like equality, dignity, justice and responsibility arise at this level. These principles vary in application depending on social context, culture and time, such as views on discrimination, gender roles, or social justice.
3. The Tertiary Principle requires study, experience and discursive thinking. It includes ethical theories developed by thinkers like Aristotle, Kant, Mill and philosophical traditions like Nishkam Karmayoga. This level systematically analyzes moral conflicts, evaluates norms and guides ethical decision making in complex individual, social and political situations.

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Absolute vs Relative Ethics

• Absolute Ethics refers to fixed and universal moral standards applicable to all humans, such as the inherent wrongness of hatred, cruelty and injustice regardless of time, place, or culture.
• Relative ethics holds that moral standards vary with time, place, society and cultural experience, explaining differences in views on abortion, homosexuality, capital punishment and war.
• Absolute ethics provides a stable moral benchmark and equal standards for all, reflected in universal human rights and the idea of human dignity.
• Relative ethics promotes flexibility, cultural diversity and adaptation to social realities, preventing domination by a single culture or moral system.
• Relative ethics evolves through human experience and gradually moves toward absolute ethical ideals as societies become more morally conscious.
• Absolute ethics may ignore circumstances and lesser evils, while relative ethics considers consequences and real life complexities of moral decision making.

Morality vs Ethics

• Morality refers to customs, traditions and social rules that define right and wrong within a particular society, culture, or religion.
• Ethics is the philosophical study of morality that critically examines moral rules using reason rather than blindly accepting social norms.
• Moral rules are imposed by society, leaving individuals with limited choice, while ethics allows individuals to think, reflect and choose principles.
• Morality varies across cultures and time, whereas ethics aims to identify universal principles of good and evil beyond cultural boundaries.
• Ethical disagreements arise because people interpret and balance shared moral norms differently based on values and life experiences.

Law vs Ethics

• Laws are formal rules enforced by the state with punishment, while ethics are value based guidelines maintained by conscience and responsibility.
• Ethical standards often go beyond law, as many unethical acts may not violate legal provisions but still harm justice and human dignity.
• An action can be legal but unethical, such as administrative indifference, or illegal but ethical, such as moral resistance to unjust laws.
• Ethics helps evaluate, criticize and reform laws to ensure they align with justice, equality and the broader moral goals of society.
• Law ensures external compliance, while ethics focuses on internal moral commitment and voluntary right action.

Intuitionism vs Reasoning

• Intuitionism holds that moral truths like good and evil are self evident and cannot be defined or proven using non moral facts.
• It claims that objective moral truths exist independently of human emotions or social approval, such as hatred being wrong in itself.
• Moral consciousness is an integral part of human consciousness, guiding individuals toward justice, responsibility and moral awareness.
• Reasoning complements intuition by evaluating consequences, contexts and competing values in complex ethical situations.
• Ethical judgments involve both intuition and rational debate, showing that ethics is neither arbitrary nor purely emotional.

Essence of Ethics Questions

Some of the major questions that have been asked in UPSC CSE Mains Examination Ethics Paper 4 under the topic Essence of Ethics are listed below:

1. Law and ethics are considered to be the two tools for controlling human conduct so as to make it conducive to civilized social existence. (a) Discuss how they achieve this objective? (b) Giving examples, show how the two differ in their approaches. [2016]
2. A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also have to have a well developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties. Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples, where (i) an act is ethically right, but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not Ethically. [2015]
3. Differentiate between the following: (1) Law and Ethics (2) Ethical Management and Management of Ethics (3) Discrimination and Preferential Treatment (4) Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics. [2015]
4. “A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which has nothing sound in it and nothing true. ” - Socrates. What does this quote mean to you? [2020]