Linkages between the Development and Spread of Extremism
This article deals with ‘Linkages between the Development and Spread of Extremism.’ This is part of our series on ‘Internal Security’, an important pillar of the GS-3 syllabus. For more articles, you can click here.
What is Development?
Development encompasses the needs and means to provide a better life for the masses. It not only refers to economic growth but also human development. Developmental efforts should address the lack of capabilities, resources and opportunities to step out of poverty and deprivation.
It is a multi-dimensional phenomenon & measured on the following dimensions:-
1. Level of economic growth
2. Level of health services
3. Level of education
4. Degree of modernization
5. Status of woman
6. Level of nutrition
7. Quality of housing
8. Distribution of goods & services
What is Extremism?
Extremism is an ideology or political act far outside the perceived political centre of society & that claim to violate common moral standards.
Though this is a relative term which invites disagreement regarding benchmarks, it is broadly agreed that extremist views are not necessarily illegal and do not automatically lead to violence or harm. Extremism becomes a concern when those views promote violence, a phenomenon known as violent extremism.
Examples of Extremism in India
Terrorism
Naxalism
Insurgency in North-East
Mob Violence etc.
Common indicators in extremism-affected areas
1. Governance deficit
There is no primary sustainable employment.
There are no basic healthcare and education facilities.
There is a lack of law & order and grievance redressal mechanisms.
2. Geographical Indicators
The geography of such a place is characterized by
Difficult terrain
High forest cover
Inaccessibility
Tribal areas
3. Social & Economic Indicators
Society and economy are characterized by
High levels of poverty
Class & caste divisions
Lack of gainful employment for youth
Very low levels of industrialization
4. Misc. Indicators
Drug Trafficking
Religion & conversion issues
So, what is the relationship between development and extremism?
There is a ’cause and effect relationship’ between development and
extremism. But there is a debate on which one is the cause and which is the
effect.
View 1: Underdevelopment leads to Extremism. E.g., Naxalism in Chhattisgarh, MP, Odisha etc.
View 2: Extremism leads to Underdevelopment. E.g., Entrepreneurs and FDI remains away from extremism-prone areas.
Some scholars argue that development automatically generates a peace dividend through de-escalating
conflict and political violence. Others argue development itself is the peace dividend that can arise after
law and order has been established with the force of arm. These people believe
that the spread of extremism makes any meaningful development effort
useless.
Role of Social Networking Sites in Internal Security Challenges
This article deals with the ‘Role of Media in Internal Security Challenges.’ This is part of our series on ‘Internal Security’, an important pillar of the GS-3 syllabus. For more articles, you can click here.
Social Media / Social Networking
Definition: IT IS A GROUP OF ONLINE APPLICATIONS THAT ALLOW FOR THE CREATION AND EXCHANGE OF USER-GENERATED CONTENT AND ARE BUILT ON THE IDEOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF WEB 2.0.
Social
media is different from (ordinary) Media. Social Media allows people to raise
voices who otherwise couldn’t speak or wouldn’t be heard. Hence
Media= Source of information
Social Media = Source of Information + Platform for Expression
Categories of Social Media
Blogs and Microblogs
Twitter
Content and Communities
Youtube and Dailymotion
Social Networking Sites
Facebook, Instagram etc.
Wikis
Wikipedia
Blogs
There are blogs of many writers, poets, and celebrities where the entries are written in a personal, conversational style.
Virtual World Games
World of Warcraft
Virtual Social World
Second Life
But there is no clear
demarcation between them.
Characteristics of social media
1. User-generated Content
Citizens are participants, authors and content creators.
2. Conversation
Allow the users to start a conversation. E.g., Twitter gives 24*7 opportunities for two-way discussion.
3. Building Relationships
Social Media helps build new relationships and find friends based on shared interests, along with helping to maintain older ones.
4. Communication
Social Media can send mail, text message or voice message. Social Media has reduced communication barriers among people.
5. Information Sharing
Social Media is an information-sharing tool and can be assessed and commented on in real-time.
6. Building the Public Narrative
Social Media has become the most crucial instrument in today’s world to build the public narrative. E.g., In Indonesia, Instagram influencers were given 1st Corona vaccine, along with doctors, to dispel the religious fears among citizens that the vaccine is not ‘haram’ given that Pig gelatine was used as a stabilizer in the vaccine.
7. Marketing
Many organizations use social media strategies to reach out to customers and peers. Even governments have been using social media to broadcast information about schemes and programs.
But there are some negative characteristics
1. Unregulated Nature
Its content cannot be controlled, censored or shut down.
It can harm national security and lead to riots.
The servers of most of the social media channels are located outside India.
2. Algorithmic filtering / Echo Chambers
Algorithms of Social Media sites are designed to create filter bubbles/echo chambers in which users only see viewpoints they agree with, which further hardens their prejudices.
3. Unequal Participation
On social media, the fringe groups could appear mainstream and vulnerable populations with lower social media footprint could end up ignored.
4. Fake News
It has allowed criminal actors to launch misinformation campaigns and incite violence.
5. Foreign interference
Foreign countries and their agencies can use Social Media as an information weapon to influence public sentiment in elections. E.g., Alleged interference by Russians in the 2016 US Presidential elections.
6. Provide a wider audience to the extremists
Extremists also use social media to live stream violent acts. E.g., White Supremacists livestreamed the killing of people in Christchurch, New Zealand (in 2020), showing how terrorists are using technology for their end.
Threats posed by Social Media
1. Use of Social Media by Terrorists
1.1 Spread Propaganda
Internet & social media are used to spread ideological instructions & induct recruits by terrorist organizations. E.g., ISIS was able to attract Youth from European Nations and the US via their Social Media propaganda.
1.2 Financing
Terrorists
use social media to gather funds to finance their activities. Methods used by
them include
Direct Solicitation: through websites, mass mail etc.
E-commerce: Terrorists use online payment tools to collect funds
Exploitation of Online Payment Tools: Younis Tasauli, a terrorist, was the mastermind of UK Credit Card Fraud. Money collected through fraud was used to fund terrorist activities.
1.3 Training
Terrorist groups are using Social Media sites to instruct on making explosives and carrying out terrorist attacks, along with methods to join the terrorist organization.
Al Qaeda even had an online magazine called ‘INSPIRE‘.
1.4 Planning & Execution
It involves remote communication between several parties, and social media help terrorist organizations in this regard.
End-to-end encrypted messages provided by platforms such as WhatsApp also help these terrorist organizations as these can’t be intercepted by intelligence agencies.
1.5 Cyber Attack
It is the deliberate exploitation of computer networks as a means to launch an attack. Terrorist organizations are frequently carrying out cyber attacks.
2. Use of Social Media in Riots
In the past few years, several instances have come to focus where communal clashes are being planned or instigated through fake videos circulating on Social Media.
Police acknowledged that WhatsApp groups were used to incite Muzaffarnagar riots in the run-up to the 2014 elections. Indian Mujahidin and Hindu fundamentalist groups incited these riots by circulating fake videos.
Facebook and WhatsApp were used in the Delhi riots of 2000.
Gau-rakshaks, Jat agitators, and protestors in Kashmir also took advantage of WhatsApp groups to organize themselves.
The Government has responded by banning the internet in such instances, making India the global leader in imposing internet blackouts. But that is only a tactical solution which prevents immediate violence.
PARLER, a social network site similar to Twitter, was very popular among Trump supporters and was used by them to instigate Capitol building violence following the defeat of Donald Trump. The app was later banned from App Store.
3. Fake News
Fake news is news, stories or hoaxes created to misinform or deliberately deceive readers.
Agenda behind spreading Fake News
Influence the view of people
Push a political agenda or cause confusion: Governments of countries such as Venezuela, the Philippines and Turkey were found to employ an army of ‘opinion shapers’ to spread the view of the party in power, drive their agendas and distort online discussions.
It can often be a profitable business for online publishers.
Fake news can be in the form of
Satire
Propaganda
Out-of-context information
Conspiracy theories
Clickbait
Some incidents associated with Fake News
2012
It led to a
Mass-Exodus of North Easterners from Bangalore.
2013
Muzaffarpur Riots happened due to the spread of fake news (discussed above)
2016
Russia is alleged
to have used fake news to manipulate the US Presidential elections, leading
to the win of Donald Trump.
2020
Riots happened in
Delhi after Anti-CAA protests due to the spread of fake news on social media.
2021
Capitol Hill
violence happened in Washington DC due to the circulation of fake news that
US elections were rigged and the real winner of the election was Donald
Trump.
Reasons for the spread of Fake News
The rapid pace of information dissemination: The pace at which false information can spread, especially on Social Media, is unprecedented.
Regulation problems: Social Media is difficult to regulate & censor due to its decentralized nature.
Algorithmic filtering: Algorithms are designed in such a way that the content suggested conforms with what a person is watching based on his browsing history. It creates filter bubbles and echo chambers which harden a person’s prejudices.
The fake news industry has developed as an organized industry, and companies have come up which provide the service of spreading fake news to anyone willing to pay the fees.
Threats posed by the Fake News
1. Political Threats
Political parties try to gain
political advantages by polarising the voters.
2. Economic Threats
It can lead to loss of life
and property, as fake news can lead to riots and lynchings.
Fake news and subsequent
breakdown of law and order machinery can also result in the shutting down
of markets and disruption in the supply chains.
3. Societal Threats
Fake news disturbs the social
fabric of society as it can lead to tension and hostility between the
communities.
4. International
Other countries use it in
psychological warfare.
New technologies like Deep
Fakes are used by the countries to target other countries.
5. Loss of faith in Media
People have lost their faith
in the media, and media houses are now seen as commercial entities
Ways to contain it
Steps by various platforms
Twitter: They tag those spreading Fake news as ‘Manipulated Media’.
WhatsApp has introduced a feature to tell whether the message is forwarded. The veracity of forwarded messages is low.
Facebook: Facebook has introduced features like tagging a page repeatedly flagged by their ‘fact checkers’.
Various Indian sites like altnews.in provide fact-checks about various fake news circulating on social as well as mainstream media.
Fake news can also be checked using Blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence.
Using Legal Provisions
Sections 153A and 295 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) can be invoked against someone spreading fake news to create religious animosity.
Defamation Suit: A person may pursue a civil or criminal defamation case if they perceive fake news as defamatory.
Contempt of Court law can be evoked against those spreading fake news about Judicial proceedings.
Fundamental Duty to develop scientific temper: Citizens of the country are also required to develop a scientific temper, humanism and spirit of inquiry and reform under Article 51A (b) (Fundamental Duties). It can help to contain the spread of fake news.
International Examples / Case Studies
WHO has established the Information Network for Epidemics (EPI-WIN) to track and respond to misinformation, myths and rumours regarding the spread of epidemics (like Covid 19).
BBC America has started a new initiative called SLOW NEWS to contain the spread of fake news, as the main reason for the circulation of fake news is the speed at which fake news is circulated in the age of social media.
4. Negative impact of Social Media on Children
Social Media sites like Facebook are difficult to regulate, and they expose children to inappropriate material for their age.
In 2017, a game called Blue Whale on social media led to Children Suicides.
Trolling on social media can lead to depression among children.
5. Use of Social Media by Organised Criminal Groups
Criminal organizations use Social Media as support, communication and coordination tools to conduct their illicit activities.
These kinds of illicit activities can be either purely information ones (i.e. spreading child pornography with fee, “virtual” identity thefts, phishing, the spread of viruses, Trojans, worms, etc.), or “traditional” ones (i.e. drug smuggling, human trafficking, money-laundering, transfer of documents from industrial espionage).
6. Others
Honey Trapping
Cyberbullying: People can misuse social media platforms to spread rumours and share videos that destroy reputations.
Trolling: Women, leaders from non-ruling parties and people from disadvantaged communities face a disproportionately high number of trolls.
Jurisdictional challenge: There are complications in the jurisdiction as servers of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. are situated outside India.
Social Media and Police
The
Police departments, globally and in India, are using social media in the
following ways.
To gather information.
To create awareness by disseminating information and forewarning citizens.
To maintain a public interface and reduce the communication gap.
To increase citizen participation to identify crime.
To get feedback from citizens and understand their grievances.
Social Media provide anonymity. Hence, it helps citizens overcome their fear of complaining about law and order issues.
In
India, the potential to use social media provides vast potential for policing
in India, as millions of Indians are active users of Facebook, Twitter,
WhatsApp and other platforms.
Police and other law agencies use it in many ways. Some examples are
All the state police forces have their official Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc., accounts for disseminating information and communicating directly with people.
Social Media Labs Project by Maharashtra Police tracks activity on social media to anticipate and handle sudden flares up.
Delhi Traffic Police is using platforms like Facebook and Twitter to ease the handling of traffic-related issues.
Intelligence Bureau’s OPERATION CHAKRAVYUH usesBig Data Analysis of Social Media posts and other things to find trails of youth that are getting radicalized.
Social Media and Politics
Social Media has
changed the ways of doing politics in India. Some of the examples to
corroborate this fact includes
Benefits of Social Media in Politics
Help the parties to disseminate their campaign, messages and ideas more effectively to the public.
Facilitate two-way communication between the public and political parties.
Cost-effective compared to print and digital media.
Facilitate targeted delivery of the message.
Levels the playing field
Issues
Post-truth politics: “Post-truth” describes situations in which appeals to emotion and personal belief have a greater influence on public opinion than objective facts.
Proliferation of fake news: Through social media, unverified information can circulate freely on the internet, increasing instances of fake news.
Troll the dissenting opinion: Online abuse in the form of trolling, verbal threats etc., of people with dissenting opinions.
Misuse of data: For example, 2018 Cambridge Analytica case where personal data of millions of Facebook profiles was harvested without their consent and reportedly used for targeted messaging.
Propensity to fuel social instability: Allowing hate speech and extreme speech to thrive in unregulated online spaces, particularly in regional languages, has widened societal fault lines.
This article deals with the ‘Role of Media in Internal Security Challenges.’ This is part of our series on ‘Internal Security’, an important pillar of the GS-3 syllabus. For more articles, you can click here.
Introduction to Media
Media is derived from the word medium (meaning carrier or mode).
It denotes an item through which any kind of information, news, entertainment, education, data, promotional messages etc., can be disseminated.
Different types of Media
Media
itself can be divided into several categories like
It helps citizens to make responsible and objective choices
It promotes government accountability by providing information about its functioning to the common public.
Media is used to educate people through the news and social commentary.
Media plays an instrumental role in bringing change in the attitudes and habits of the masses. For example, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Media also helps in the project of national integration by providing information about different parts of India.
Media plays the most critical role in shaping public perception.
Constitutional and Legal provisions regarding Media
Article 19 of the Indian Constitution deals with freedom of speech and expression.
Articles 105(2) and 194(2) allow the Indian Press to publish or report the proceedings of the parliament and the state legislatures.
The Press Council of India is the regulatory body of the Indian press. Its main functions include
Preserve the freedom of the press
Maintain & improve the standard of newspapers and news agencies in India.
It can receive complaints of violation of journalistic ethics or professional misconduct by an editor or journalist.
News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA):NBSA is an independent watchdog set up by the Indian News Broadcasters Association on its own to consider and adjudicate complaints about broadcasts.
Broadcasting Code: Originally, the code was set up to govern All India Radio (AIR). But all the major media organizations also follow this code voluntarily. The principles include:
Addressing controversial issues impartially and dispassionately
Ensuring the objective reporting of news and unbiased commentary in order to improve culture and education
Raising and maintaining high standards of decency and decorum in all programs
Encouraging religious tolerance, communal harmony, and international understanding
Respecting human rights and dignity
But there are some restrictions on the media as well. These include
Union & State legislatures can put ‘reasonable restrictions’ on free speech under Article 19(2) on 8 grounds i.e.
Sovereignty & integrity of the nation
Security of state
Friendly relations with foreign states
Public order
Decency and Morality
Contempt of court
Defamation
Incitement to an Offence
Defence of India Act, 1962: It was passed in the wake of the Sino-India war of 1962. It empowers the Central Government to issue rules with regard to prohibiting publication which would undermine or threaten the civil defence.
Civil Defence Act, 1968:It enables the government to establish rules prohibiting the production and dissemination of any book, newspaper, or another item that compromises the nation’s and its citizens’ civil defence.
Principles of self-regulation for Media
Media has the power to influence the decisions of others and play an essential role in informing others. Hence, it becomes necessary that media follows certain principles of self-regulation.
Accuracy and Objectivity in reporting: Accuracy is at the heart of reporting & errors must be corrected promptly.
Ensuring Neutrality and Impartiality: Media platforms should give equality to all affected parties. They should ensure that allegations are not portrayed as facts and that charges are not portrayed as an act of guilt.
Media should take care that they do not indulge in sensationalizing news to gain more TRP.
There should be a wall between managerial/ownership activities and editorial jurisdiction.
The media shouldn’t glorify crime and violence. Media platforms should not glamorize it, whatever their intention may be, as it influences the young generation negatively.
The media shouldn’t depict a woman or juvenile victim or witness of rape, aggression or trauma without concealing their identity. Media shouldn’t show nudity or porn in any form and shouldn’t intrude on private life unless a larger public interest is involved.
Don’t endanger national security: Media platforms should use maps and terminology mandated by the law. Media shouldn’t broadcast content that encourages secessionist groups and furthers their interests.
Media platforms should refrain from advocating or encouraging superstition or occultism.
Media must not intrude on individuals’ private lives or personal affairs unless there is an established larger and identifiable public interest.
Sting operation should be the LAST RESORT: Media platforms cannot use sex or narcotics to carry a sting. Along with that, the sting should be in the larger public interest. Additionally, footage should be shown in full without alteration in the footage.
Self-regulation is the best form of regulation, especially in the
case of media. Hence media should try to stick to the above principles so that
its freedom remains ensured.
How does media threaten national threat?
Breaking News Phenomenon: In India, far too many channels compete for viewership. With the phenomenon of ‘Breaking News’, news channels start to run any news without checking the veracity of facts. It frequently culminates into social tensions, communal riots and regional tensions between various ethnic groups. E.g., Mass exodus of North-Easterners from Bangalore.
Sensationalization of national security-related issues: During the hijacking of flight IC 814 to Kandahar, Indian media accurately reported the movement of army personnel and influenced the decision of political leadership, which led to poor negotiations and the eventual release of terrorists.
Reporting on the sub-judice matter: Matters pending in the court are freely reported and discussed in the media. A parallel trial by the media can potentially vitiate the atmosphere around which a citizen is supposed to get justice. In certain high-profile cases, the media almost declares someone guilty or innocent, thereby putting the judiciary under tremendous pressure. For example, the media trial on the Sushant Rajput suicide case (2020), Jessica Lal case(2010) and Priyadarshini Mattoo case (2006)
By telecasting live coverage of Anti-terror operations, media can provide information on the deployment of security forces to the terrorists. For example: during the 26/11 Mumbai attack, the media telecasted live the operations carried out by the security forces. Terrorists also got access to the information resulting in significant casualties. Later, the government added a new clause to the 1994 Cable Television Network Rules’ Program Code. This provision limits media coverage of counterterrorism operations to periodic briefings by an authorized officer and forbids live coverage of such operations.
Media can flare communal riots by irresponsibly reporting on sensitive issues such as caste and communal conflict. E.g., The Muzaffarpur riots of 2013 or the Delhi riots of 2020.
Fundamentalists can also use media to spread hate speech and radicalize the population. For example,
Zakir Naik’s Peace TV was spreading hate speeches against different religions and sects other than the Sunni sect of Islam. It has played an important role in radicalizing youth in Bangladesh. Zakir Naik and his TV is already banned in the UK, Canada and Malaysia. India, too banned his NGO & TV in 2016.
Channels like Sudarshan news spread hate against the Muslim community. SC had to intervene to impose a pre-telecast ban on its “UPSC Jihad” program.
Indian media’s analysis of national security issues by groups of former diplomats, generals and self-proclaimed patriots (like Shifuju) distorts national security perspectives.
To prevent terrorists from using the media to achieve their goals, the media must exercise caution. Years ago, terrorism specialist Brian Jenkins said, “Terrorism is theatre.” Media also likes theatre. How many videos produced by the Islamic State may then be aired on TV without furthering their cause? There is no conclusive response. Their videos accomplish a dual aim by horrifying and motivating different groups of people.
Case Study: Media (Radio) during the Tutsi Genocide (Rwanda)
In early 1990, anti-Tutsi articles and cartoons started to appear in the Kangura newspaper.
In June 1993, the RTLMC (Radio Station) started broadcasting in Rwanda. The radio station used rowdy language spoken by street thugs. It was specially designed to appeal to the unemployed.
“Slavery” was a term repeated throughout the transcripts, with guests on the radio station recalling the state of Hutu slavery during colonization. Drawing on such a vocabulary, the radio broadcasts characterized the Rwandan genocide as a slave rebellion.
During the Riot, RTLMC was broadcasting such sentences again and again.
“The graves are not yet full.” – This means killing more Tutsis.
“go to work” – Meaning get your machete and kill Tutsis.
If the radio was a powerful medium then, where you only needed a transistor & few batteries, we have smartphones & WhatsApp today. The plethora of hate messages we get on WhatsApp mirror the phenomenon of the RTLMC, a concerted attempt to fabricate a newer version of history.
Side Note: Background to the Tutsi Genocide
Way Forward
Press Council of India should be empowered to penalize newspapers, news agencies, editors, etc., for the violation of its guidelines.
News Broadcasters Association (NBA) which represents private television news broadcasters, should be given statutory status on the lines of the Press Council of India.
Media should not indulge in ‘Media Trials’ as it meddles with a trial in accordance with the law.
This article deals with ‘Cloning – UPSC.’ This is part of our series on ‘Science and Technology’, an important pillar of the GS-3 syllabus. For more articles, you can click here.
What is Clone?
A clone is either an organism or a cell produced asexually from an ancestor.
A cloned cell is genetically & physically identical to its ancestor.
British biologist JBD Haldane in 1963, theorized for the first time that it would be possible to produce genetic duplicates from all living organisms if a living cell from any part of the organism is available.
Dolly Sheep Cloning Experiment
In 1997, Ian Wilmut and his team at Scotland’s Roslin Institute successfully cloned a sheep from the mammary glands of an adult female.
In the process, Scientists chose three sheep: Molly, Polly and Holly
Polly (Black face)
They removed genetic material from her egg cell. Hence, the egg was acting as an empty vessel.
Molly (White face)
Genetic material was extracted out of Molly’s cells and planted in Polly’s empty egg cell, creating an embryo.
Holly
The embryo was planted in Holly’s womb. Thus, Holly became a surrogate mother.
Result
White-faced sheep named Dolly was born from the womb
of Holly. But Dolly was a clone of Molly as its DNA was exactly the same as
that of Molly.
Type of Cloning
1. Molecular Cloning
It is the process of making multiple molecules.
It is widely used in biological experiments & practical applications ranging from genetic fingerprinting to large-scale protein production.
2. Animal Cloning
Discussed above
3. Human Cloning
Human cloning is further of two types
3.1 Reproductive Cloning
It involves delivering a baby by transferring the nucleus of an adult human cell to an enucleated human egg cell & allowing the manipulated egg cell to grow normally in the uterus of a surrogate mother.
3.2 Therapeutic Cloning
It involves using stem cells from the cloned human embryo to produce human organs & replacement tissues for medical purposes.
The organ thus produced contains the DNA of a sick person. Hence chances of organ rejection, in this case, are almost none. Along with that, the patient does not require to take immunosuppressant drugs for the remaining life, which is currently required during transplants.
Apart from that, it can help to understand the cause of genetic diseases and the process of cancer formation.
Positive effects of Cloning
Cloning can help as a backup system for human beings as vital organs like the heart, liver, kidneys etc., can be cloned.
It can help to produce plants and cells with favorable traits to be produced at a mass scale.
Animal cloning has an application in saving endangered species. E.g., Chinese scientists successfully cloned Wild Arctic Fox, an endangered species native to Canada’s Queen Elizabeth Island, in an effort to save it from getting extinct.
Ethical Issues
Reproductive cloning can undermine respect for human life.
It may destroy social institutions like family, marriage etc.
It may lead to the loss of genetic diversity among humans.
Nations can raise cloned armies to fight against their enemies.
Clones may be used for slavery, which may constitute the sub-human race.
Religious bodies also object to human cloning as interference in godly affairs.
Current Law
India
Human cloning for reproductive purposes is banned.
UK
In 2001, the UK became the first country to legalise Therapeutic Cloning.
United Nations
UNGA has adopted a non-binding UN declaration on human cloning, calling for a ban on all forms of human cloning contrary to human dignity in March 2005.
USA
Currently, there is no federal law to ban cloning completely. But 12 states have banned reproductive cloning & 3 states prohibit the use of public funds for this purpose.
This article deals with the ‘Issue of Drug Trafficking .’ This is part of our series on ‘Internal Security’, which is an important pillar of the GS-3 syllabus. For more articles, you can click here.
Introduction
Drug Trafficking is an important topic. Hence, we will do this topic in detail.
As per Home Ministry, there are 40 lakh drug addicts in India.
How is India used as Transit for Drug Trafficking?
1. India-Pakistan Border
Golden Crescent, the largest producer of opium & cannabis in the world, is situated on the feet of the Indo-Pakistan Border.
Porous borders, disturbance in the areas, closing traditional Balkan route via Iran during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), the outbreak of the Sikh militancy in the mid-1980s and the Kashmir militancy in the late 1980s, support from Pakistan etc., are the major reasons behind drug trafficking across India-Pakistan border.
2. India-Nepal & India-Bhutan Border
Two-way smuggling is happening in this region as
Heroin and Marijuana / Ganja come to India from Nepal and Bhutan.
Low-cost Codeine-based pharma preparation from India is exported to Nepal & Bhutan.
Well-developed road infrastructure and porous borders facilitate this business.
3. India-Myanmar Border
India – Myanmar border is situated on the foot of the Golden Triangle.
The growing demand for drugs in the North-East and insurgency and porous nature of the Indo-Myanmar border facilitate this.
4. Sea Routes
Both the east & west coasts of India are used for the drug trade.
During the 1990s, the civil war started in Sri Lanka. Hence drugs from the Af-Pak region came to India & exited through Sri Lanka.
Tuticorin & Kochi emerged as the top drug trafficking ports in India.
5. Air Routes
Both major & minor airports are used in this pursuit. These include Delhi, Mumbai, Amritsar, Hyderabad and Bangalore airports.
Drugs are trafficked from these airports to Lagos & Addis Ababa for African drug cartels.
6. Domestic Production
Additionally, India produces a considerable quantity of opium, part of which finds a place in the illicit market.
E.g., In Rajasthan, farmers can produce opium for medicinal purposes after getting a license. But a considerable part of opium thus produced is smuggled into the illegal market.
Side Note: Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle
The golden crescent refers to the mountainous area of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Golden triangle is the region of Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, south of the Chinese border.
Opium has been grown in these regions for hundreds of years, and
they are the two major sources of narcotic drugs worldwide.
Why is India vulnerable to drugs?
India is situated in the vicinity of Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent, and it acts as a transit point for drugs from Golden Triangle and Crescent. Furthermore, cannabis (ganja) also grows in many parts of the country and marijuana is cultivated in hilly regions of India (like Mallana in Himachal Pradesh).
Indian Parliament has passed the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance(NDPS) Act of 1985, providing minimum punishment of 10 years. But its implementation by the states has been tardy.
India’s border with Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar is porous. Along with that, there are issues with border guarding infrastructure. The drug traffickers exploit these loopholes for the illegal trade of drugs into India.
Drug Trafficking is also used to fund terrorist activities by insurgents in the North East.
Some religious sects also promote the drug, as many Hindu deities are associated with drugs such as marijuana.
Unemployment among the youth takes them on the path of drug abuse.
The rise of virtual currencies like Bitcoin has also increased funding avenues for smugglers and drug traffickers.
The breakage of the joint family system and traditional societal milieu and the emergence of an individualistic lifestyle have been other reasons for people falling into the drug trap.
Role of media: Glorification of drug abuse in media, such as in web series and movies.
Impact of Drug Abuse
Impact on Individual: Drug Abusers suffers from diseases, such as HIV, and the development of mental illnesses, suicides etc.
Impact on the Family: Families of drug abusers suffer from domestic violence, which adversely affects the mental and physical well-being of women and children.
Socio-Political Impact: It threatens social stability as the crime rate increases rapidly. Drug abusers indulge in robbery and other crimes to buy drugs.
Threat to the demographic dividendof India: It takes a significant toll on valuable human lives and causes loss of productive years of person.
Threat to National Security: Various terrorist groups are involved in the business of drug trafficking to fund their activities.
Steps taken by the government
Parliament has already passed Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act), with a minimum punishment of 10 years. The central government can add or omit any drug from the list of psychotropic substances. For instance, in 2015, the central government classified mephedrone – also called meth or meow meow – as a psychotropic substance in the Act after its popularity grew among the youth.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has been constituted under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) to control the menace of the drug in the country.
India has strengthened its border security infrastructure and Coast Guard to stop the entry of drugs from neighbouring countries.
India has signed and ratified International Conventions, namely.
UN Convention on Narcotic Drugs
UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances
India has entered into arrangements like bilateral Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding with Nepal, Thailand and Myanmar on Drug Trafficking.
According to Article 47 of the Indian Constitution, the state is duty-bound to prevent the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs.
Way forward
Cutting off the drug supply lines by law enforcement agencies should be the priority.
Government should strictly enforce the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
Government and society should focus on creating mass awareness programs using the educational system, media, and religious figures.
Sports facilities and other facilities which keep youth engaged in constructive work, like NCC, NSS, and youth parliaments, should be promoted.
Many drugs in India have religious sanctions because they are associated with Hindu deities, so religious organizations must be roped in.
The number of rehab centres and healthcare professionals for addicts is very few. These facilities should be increased.
Big corporate houses should provide counselling facilities for their employees as employment-related stress is emerging as a major factor leading to drug addiction.
This article deals with ‘Concept of Climate Change – UPSC.’ This is part of our series on ‘Environment’, an important pillar of the GS-3 syllabus. For more articles on Science and technology, you can click here.
What is Climate?
Climate is often described as average weather
The classical period is 30 years.
What is climate change?
Climate change is the periodic modification of the usual weather of the place. This change could be in the form of a change in the average temperature or precipitation pattern.
The rate of climate change is dependent on causal factors, which may be gradual or drastic, regional or global.
The causes of Climate change can be broadly divided into natural
and anthropogenic causes as follows
Natural Factors
1. Changing physiology of the Earth 2. Volcanism 3. Changing Carbon Sink
Anthropogenic Factors
1. Green House Gas emissions 2. Atmospheric aerosols 3. Changing land-use pattern
What is Global Warming?
Global Warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere leading to changes in global climate patterns.
The primary reason behind global Warming is the addition of an excessive amount of Green House Gases by humans since the inception of the Industrial Revolution.
Green House Effect
Earth receives the Sun’s insulation in the form of short waves, and it heats the surface. After being heated, the Earth starts to radiate backwards in the form of long waves. The Earth’s atmospheric gases (particularly Green House Gases) are transparent to shortwave radiation but absorb longwave radiation, thus indirectly heating Earth’s atmosphere.
But the Green House Effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. It helps maintain the Earth’s temperature around 33 degrees warmer than it would be in its absence and makes life possible on the Earth.
Gases which show the Green House Effect
1. Water Vapour
Water Vapour is the most abundant GHG, but it doesn’t play an essential role in climate change as it spends a very short time in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The water vapour varies rapidly with the season, altitude and region.
2. Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide is the most crucial GHG in climate change as it is produced naturally and through anthropogenic activities.
Natural sources of CO2 include animal respiration and volcanic eruptions. On the other hand, anthropogenic causes include burning fossil fuels and deforestation.
3. Methane
The primary sources of Methane are the decomposition of organic matter and the digestion process of ruminants (like cows, goats etc.).
But Green House potential of Methane is far more than that of Carbon Dioxide. Hence, even a lesser amount of Methane can cause much more damage.
4. Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide is a very powerful Green House Gas that is produced during the manufacturing and use of nitrogenous fertilizers.
5. Chloro Floro Carbons (CFCs)
CFCs are manmade chemicals used in refrigerants and air conditioners, having considerable GHG potential and posing a great danger to Earth’s Ozone Layer.
Factors affecting the Climate Change
Climate change
resulting from the change in energy entering and leaving the planet’s system
can be caused by natural and anthropogenic factors.
Natural Causes
Natural
causes include continental drift, volcanoes, ocean currents, the Earth’s tilt,
and comets and meteorites.
1. Continental Drift and Plate Tectonics
Due to plate tectonics, continents keep on changing their position.
This drift impacts the climate because it changes the position and features of landmasses, such as a change in the flow of ocean currents and winds, which affects the climate.
2. Milanković Cycle / Variations in the Earth’s Orbit
The phenomenon was discovered by Serbian scientist Milanković in the 1900s, according to which the motion and tilt of the Earth change due to the gravitational pull between Sun and Moon. This results in what is known as Milanković cycles having a significant impact on climate and causing glacial and interglacial periods.
3. Volcanic Activity
Volcanic eruptions result in an outburst of Green House Gases (especially Sulphur dioxide) and ash, impacting climatic patterns.
For example, massive volcanic eruptions 56 million years ago raised the global temperature by 8° C, and it took around 50,000 years to stabilize the climate.
4. Ocean Currents
On longer time scales, thermohaline circulation plays a crucial role in redistributing heat by extremely slow and deep transportation of the ocean water and redistributing the heat globally.
Anthropogenic (Human Caused) Factors
1. Green House Gases
Natural Green House Effect helps make Earth a habitable place by maintaining the average temperature on Earth at around 14°C instead of -19°C without the Green House Effect.
But human activities can increase the concentration of Green House gases leading to global Warming.
2. Excessive Deforestation
Excessive Deforestation has been carried out worldwide as a source of wood and to convert forest land to agricultural land. Dense forests help absorb carbon dioxide and reduce the Green House Effect.
Forcings
Forcings mean the
initial drivers of climate change, such as insolation, Green House Gases,
aerosols, smoke, dust etc.
Feedback Effect
Feedbacks are the processes that can amplify or reduce the effects of forcings.
In other words, due to the warming of the Earth, numerous changes occur in Earth’s atmosphere, which can impact the temperature. These factors are called Feedback impacts. Some of these changes can increase the temperature, while others can cool down the atmospheric temperature.
1. Feedback from Water Vapour
Water vapour is one of the most crucial feedback effects. A slight warming of the Earth due to more sunlight or an increased greenhouse effect will increase the quantity of water vapour in the atmosphere. As water vapour is also a greenhouse gas, the extra water vapour will increase the greenhouse effect even more. Thus water vapour has an amplifying effect on global warming.
2. Feedback from Snow and Ice-Cover
The feedback effects from ice and snow-covered surfaces are similar. When the climate is cold, there is a lot of ice and snow on Earth, and the shiny surface reflects back sunlight to make it colder. But warmer climate results in lesser snow which leads to less reflection of solar radiation to outer space and increased warming.
3. Feedback from Clouds
All clouds both cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight into space and warm it up by absorbing heat from the surface.
The feedback effect depends upon the type of cloud.
Thin CirrusClouds (which appear high up in the atmosphere) generally have a warming effect.
On the other hand, low Cumulus and Stratus clouds have a cooling effect.
Carbon Footprint
Carbon footprint measures the total GHG emissions (under Kyoto Protocol) caused directly & indirectly by a person, organization, event or product.
GHGs under Kyoto Protocol are
Carbon Dioxide
Methane
Nitrous Oxide
Hydro Fluro Carbon
Per Fluro Carbon
Sulphur Hexaoxide
Carbon Footprint is expressed as tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). tCO2e is calculated by multiplying the emissions of each of 6 GHGs by their 100-year Global warming potential.
How can I reduce my carbon footprint?
Global Warming Potential
Global Warming Potential for a gas is the measure of the total
energy that a gas absorbs over a particular period, usually 100 years, compared
to Carbon Dioxide.
Gas
GWP
Lifetime years
CO2
1
50-200
CH4
21
12
Nitrous oxide
310
120
HFCs
140-12000
1-270
PFCs
6500-9200
800-50,000
SF6
23,900
3200
Side Topic: Carbon Bombs
It is “an oil or gas project that will result in at least a billion tons of CO2 emissions over its lifetime.”
As of the end of 2022, there are 195 carbon bomb projects worldwide. These include projects such as
Carmichael Coal Project, owned by the Adani Group
Gevra Coal Mines in Chhattisgarh, owned by Coal India
Rajmahal Coal Mines in eastern Jharkhand
Ecological Footprint & Debt
Ecological Footprint
It is the measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystem. The ecological footprint represents the impact that an entity (nation/town/individual) made on Earth that year by consuming Earth’s resources.
Global Hectare is the average productive land and water an individual requires to produce all the resources it consumes. In 2007, it was 2.7 Hectares /Person.
Water Footprint
It is the volume of freshwater used to produce goods and services by an individual or community.
It is of
the following types
Blue WFP
Blue Water Footprint is the volume of freshwater evaporated from global blue water resources, such as rivers, ponds, lakes, wells, etc., for producing goods and services used by an individual or community.
Green WFP
Green Water Footprint is the volume of freshwater evaporated from global green water resources such as moist lands, wetlands, farms, soil etc., for producing goods and services used by an individual or community.
Grey WFP
Grey Water Footprint is the volume of fresh water polluted for producing goods and services used by an individual or community.
Ecological Debt
Ecological
Debt can be defined as the amount by which the consumption of resources from
within an ecosystem exceeds the ecosystem’s regenerative capacity.
Ecological Debt Day/Earth Overshoot Day
Ecological Debt Day or Earth Overshoot Day refers to the calendar date when the total resources consumed by humanity will exceed the capacity for Earth to generate those resources that year.
It is not a fixed date but keeps on changing each year. WWF and Global Footprint Network decide it.
Side Topic: Earth Day
It is celebrated on 22 April (every year) to increase awareness of environmental safety among ordinary people.
Applied Ethics is part of ethics which attempts to analyze the ethicality of real-life controversial situations such as war, animal rights, capital punishment, euthanasia, whistle-blowing, media ethics, International Ethics etc.
We will deal with
some of the issues of applied ethics in this article to equip you to handle any
such case in the examination.
Environmental Ethics
Environment Ethics says that the environment should also be a criterion to judge the righteousness and wrongness of an action (earlier decision-makers were not using it as a criterion).
Ecological values are part of Indian tradition, where nature is revered for its services to humanity. Environmentalists like Baba Amte have also spread awareness about ecological balance and wildlife preservation. They believed that humans must live in harmony with nature and not by exploiting it.
Environmental Values include
Sustainable Development (Sustainable Development is the development that meets the present generation’s needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their respective needs. It calls for judicious use of resources)
Conservation
Co-existence
Holistic approach
The need for sustainable development could be
summarized by what Gandhi said, ‘Earth has sufficient resources for the need of
man but not the greed of man.’ Thus greed will lead to the mindless
exploitation of resources and compromise the ability of future generations to
meet their needs.
(2014 UPSC) Nowadays, there is an increasing thrust on economic development all around the globe. At the same time, there is also an increasing concern about environmental degradation caused by development. Many a time, we face a direct conflict between developmental activity and environmental quality. It is neither feasible to stop or curtail the development process nor is it advisable to keep degrading the environment, as it threatens our very survival.
Discuss some feasible strategies which could be
adopted to eliminate this conflict and which could lead to sustainable
development. (250 words)
Today, Policymakers have to look for Sustainable Development so
that equilibrium can be maintained between development and conservation of the
environment. To achieve high economic growth, we can’t allow the environment to
degrade to such an extent that our cities become unlivable and the Earth face
an existential crisis. Nor can we afford not to develop at all because the
country needs to develop to eliminate poverty. Hence, the need of the hour is
to grow in a way which causes minimum harm to nature.
Green GDP: Growth should take into account the depletion of resources done to achieve that growth
Use the Polluter Pays Principle
Use of Green Codes
Increase the energy efficiency of appliances
Use Renewable Resources of Energy like Solar, Wind Energy etc. which are abundant and don’t cause any pollution.
Environment Impact Assessment should be done strictly, and projects should be designed in a way to make minimum impact on the environment.
Go towards Organic Farming and the use of micro irrigation.
Bioethics
The term “bioethics” refers to the broad terrain of the moral problems of the life sciences, ordinarily taken to encompass medicine, biology, and some important aspects of the environmental, population and social sciences.
Some of the general issues in bioethics include
Clinical ethics regarding the day-to-day moral decisions confronted in caring for patients.
Use of foetal tissue in Stem Cell research
Euthanasia
Cloning
Human trials in the development of medicine
Broader theories to answer the questions in the field -of bioethics include.
Utilitarian Approach: It looks at the consequences of a choice or action. Furthermore, the utilitarian view would look for the collective social benefit rather than advantages to individuals. E.g., the Utilitarian Approach would argue that human trials are good as it leads to the development of drugs that save millions of lives. ‘
Deontological Approach: This approach would argue that “good consequences may have to be set aside to respect inalienable human rights”. An example would be subjecting individuals to medical research that may harm that individual while providing the potential to help others.
Primum non-nocere: It is the doctors’ obligation not to inflict harm on others. Harm is to be avoided or minimized.
Justice: Distribution of healthcare and limited supplies fairly and equitably.
Business Ethics
Business ethics is the system of morals and ethics followed by the business organization and individuals associated with the organization that guides their decision and behaviour.
Ethical issues faced by corporations differ with the type of business operations.
Business Ethics for various corporations
An e-commerce company like Amazon, Flipkart etc., involved in online operations of goods and services, must be prepared for ethical issues like the protection of data, customers’ privacy and security.
A pharmaceutical company engaged in developing and manufacturing life-saving drugs would require the organization should not indulge in unethical actions like improper clinical trials, misleading advertisements, patent claims for non-innovations etc.
Benefits of corporations following Business Ethics
Business ethics not only helps an organization tackle ethical issues, but it is also crucial in today’s world as it helps:
Builds trust among people: Ethical standards of operations followed by the company help in building a positive reputation. E.g., Tata group.
Provides stability to the company: Running a business in an ethical manner from top to bottom builds a stronger bond between employees and the management.
Improves performance of organization: A high standard of business ethics in all facets of operations makes people in an organization perform their job duties at a higher level and stay loyal to that organization.
Increase formal investment in the economy: A company with a foundation of ethical behaviour increases its potential to attract more investors and shareholders.
Marketing Ethics
In a competitive environment in every product range, companies spend
huge on marketing to get a competitive edge over their rivals. It is perfectly
fine in an open economy. But the problem arises when they indulge in unethical
practices like
Misappropriation of facts to misguide the people
Stereotyping of gender: For example, roles like dishwashing, kitchen work etc., done by female actors
Objectification of women: Some beauty cream and soap ads indulge in these practices
Use of brand ambassadors: Ambassadors endorse products which they don’t use or whose authenticity they don’t cross-check, making profits out of the public’s reverence of a person
Paid News: Some companies pay media houses to show their product in a positive light and swing public opinion. These are not an ad but paid news. E.g., Monsanto is frequently alleged to be paying media houses to make public opinion in favour of GMOs.
Negative advertising techniques: the advertiser highlights the disadvantages of competitor products rather than their own advantages.
Surrogate advertisement: It is an advertising technique to promote banned products in the disguise of another product. For example, advertising soda under the brand name of alcohol producing company for its promotion. E.g. o Liquor companies advertising Music CDs or pan masala brands advertising cardamom with celebrities.
Steps taken
Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022, have been released to “protect the consumers” and “to ensure that consumers are not being fooled with unsubstantiated claims, exaggerated promises, misinformation and false claims”. These guidelines focus on misleading ads and ads shown during programming for children. Surrogate ads, meanwhile, have been banned completely.
Regulating Bodies: Advertisement Standard Council of India (ASCI) has been constituted to check on misappropriation of facts.
Contemporary Issues in Marketing
Issue of legal liability of Celebrities wrt advertisements. The government is trying to bring it within the ambit of the law.
Patanjali Case (2016): Uttarakhand High Court fined Patanjali ₹ 11 lakhs for misappropriation of facts in advertisements.
Euthanasia
Word ‘Euthanasia’ originated in Greece, meaning mercy killing.
Applied Ethics considers that death can never be good. But in the following conditions, Euthanasia shouldn’t be regarded as unethical.
When a person is suffering from an untreatable disease
The person is suffering from unending unbearable pain.
The person himself wants death.
Relatives, too, consider that treatment is impossible.
A reputed hospital should have certified that the disease is untreatable.
Types of Euthanasia
There are two types
Active Euthanasia: Life-ending medication is administered to the patient by a third party, usually a doctor
Passive Euthanasia: Life support is withdrawn
Arguments against Euthanasia
Constitution of India: According to the Supreme Court judgement in Gian Kaur Case,1996, the Right to Life doesn’t include the Right to die.
Neglect of Healthcare by State: Legalized Euthanasia has led to a severe decline in the quality of care for terminally-ill patients in Holland.
Malafide intention: Misusing Euthanasia by family members or relatives for inheriting the patient’s property. It was held in Aruna Shanbaug Case too.
Arguments in favour of Euthanasia
Common Cause Case (2018) held that the Right to Life includes the Right to refuse treatment and Die with Dignity and allowed Passive Euthanasia and living wills.
Hospitals are already overcrowded. Hospitals should devote resources to those patients who can be cured.
Caregiver’s Burden: The caregiver’s burden is huge. Many families have gone bankrupt to ensure medical care for a terminally ill person or to keep up the treatment for an incurable disease.
It will help in saving the lives of other patients by encouraging organ transplantation.
Law Commission, in various reports, has spoken in favour of Passive Euthanasia.
Aruna Shanbaug Judgement
The Supreme Court didn’t allow Active Euthanasia but allowed ‘Passive Euthanasia in the rarest of rare cases subject to safeguards like approval of the High Court Bench, based on consultation with a panel of medical experts. Additionally, only a hospital can make such a request.
Gender Inequality
Arguments
of Applied Ethics w.r.t. Gender Inequality
Male and females have the same spirit. Hence, inequality is wrong.
The main reason for inequality is the physical power of man. But if Physical Power should be considered the main reason for the establishment of authority, then tigers should get precedence over Humans who are more powerful than Humans.
If we compare males and females on mental abilities, females are more creative and have more reasoning abilities and rationality.
Men have outlined the social roles of females, which is morally wrong.
This article deals with the topic titled ‘ Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude .’ This is part of our series on ‘Ethics’. For more articles, you can click here.
What are Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude?
The
whole of the syllabus and paper revolves around four-terms i.e.
Ethics
Values
Attitude
Morals
First, we will define the terms Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude.
Why is
it important to learn about these four topics? The simple answer is that
attitudes, values, ethics and Morals are mental constructs that guide our
behaviour. They are responsible for influencing our choices, guiding our
decision making and directing our behaviour.
How are EVMA interrelated?
1. Value
Value is the worth & importance we (as individuals or society) allocate to something.
They are general determinants of behaviour (i.e. they are not specific determinants of behaviour). In simple words, the value of a person doesn’t guarantee their behaviour.
However, values are not tied to any specific object (e.g. value of peace isn’t tied to any object and is intangible).
Values help in determining the preference in life.
They form the basis for ethics and morality.
2. Attitude
When Values are objectified (i.e. tied to an object), they become Attitudes. In other words, Attitudes are values applied to specific objects.
It refers to a positive or negative reaction to an object/event/people or ideas.
Attitudes are specific predictors of behaviour. (Explanation: If we have a choice between knowing an individual’s values and attitude, which will we prefer to know to predict an individual’s behaviour? The answer is attitude. E.g. Sham Values peace but has Anti -Pakistan Attitude. In this case, he will not mind war against Pakistan.)
It determines the readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way.
3. Morals
Morals are values held by an individual which help him in distinguishing between right and wrong.
They determine the character of individuals.
There are two things in it.
They are held by an individual.
They help a person distinguish between right and wrong.
Note – all values don’t help in determining right and wrong. For example,
Beauty as value: If some person is not beautiful, it willn’t be considered right or wrong. Hence, the concept of morality doesn’t apply here.
Honesty as value: If someone is not honest, it will be considered wrong. Hence, the concept of morality applies here.
The fundamental force driving morals is conscience & ego-ideal.
Note: Conscience is
our inner voice about ‘don’ts’. Inner voices about ‘do’s’ are called Ego-ideal.
Conscience: Inner voice that guides our actions and prevents us from wrongdoings.
Ego-ideal: Goals that are cherished and, therefore, should be pursued.
4. Ethics
Ethics are values held by society as a whole and help distinguish between right and wrong.
They determine the norms of the society.
What is not ethics?
Ethics is not religion, as many people are atheists, but ethics applies to everybody.
Ethics is not following the law. Law may have difficulty in designing or enforcing standards in some important areas and may be slow to address new problems. For example, marital rape is not illegal. However, it is considered unethical.
Something that started as moral can become ethical.
Example of Raja Ram Mohan Roy – His personal belief was that Sati represented a crime against women. However, the practice of Sati at that time was Ethical and societal norm. Hence, Raja Ram Mohan Roy was guided by his morals at that time. He made efforts and convinced the whole society to accept that value. Society gradually changed and accepted that Sati was wrong, making it unethical.
Something Ethical can become Moral too.
Suppose I am a government doctor and have a moral position that I will not treat those male patients who commit atrocities against women. But ethics say that doctors must treat all persons who come to them for treatment. Hence, if I refuse to treat them, there will be complaints against me and a threat of suspension if I continue with this behaviour. Under pressure, I would start treating male patients with moral guilt each time I treated them. But gradually, I will either alter my morality or quit the job because a person can’t continue living with such moral guilt.
However, one should not equate being ethical to whatever society
accepts. An exception can occur when society or its influential section becomes
ethically corrupt. For example, Nazi Germany, where the genocide of Jews was
not considered wrong. Similarly, the caste system in India has continued
through millennia because of the approval of influential members of society.
Comparison: Ethics vs Morals
Parameters
Ethics
Morals
What is it?
Ethics
are values held by society as a whole and help distinguish between right and
wrong.
Morals
are values held by an individual which help him in distinguishing between
right and wrong.
Sources
External (i.e.
Societal Norms)
Internal (i.e.
Internal Values)
Why do we follow?
Because society
says that it is the right thing to do.
Because we believe
in something being right or wrong.
What if we deviate?
This might lead to
social ostracization.
This might lead to
a feeling of guilt or remorse.
Flexibility
Since it is a
collective proposition, it is generally objective.
Morals are highly
subjective as they vary from person to person.
Note: Value and Judgement
The value will always have an element of judgement in it,
but that judgement may not always be in the
form of right and wrong. For example,
Truth: In this judgement regarding right and wrong can be made.
Art: A person can judge whether art is more soothing or less soothing to the senses. But we can’t make a judgement about whether art is right or wrong. (MF Hussain made the same point that morality and ethics don’t come in the judgement of art because, in art, we can’t say this is right or wrong. While we can say I don’t like that art, but can’t say it is wrong art).
Other Concepts
1. Beliefs
Beliefs are the ideas & viewpoints held by a particular individual or group.
They consist of true and verifiable facts as well as fables, myths, folklore and superstition.
They are important because they give us hope.
Beliefs lay the foundation of a cultural group. They are often invisible to the group that holds them.
However, beliefs can be challenged, and peripheral beliefs can also be changed.
2. Norms
Norms are social expectations that guide behaviour.
Non-conforming to norms attracts punishment. Punishment may be in the form of being looked down upon, derision, boycott, imposing penance, etc. Hence, norms are a form of social control or social pressure on an individual to conform, induce uniformity and check deviant behaviour.
In the later stage, when society decides to codify these norms, they become law.
Determinants of Ethics
Ethics
and Morals are not universal. They vary according to region, time etc. Major
determinants of Ethics are
Religion: Religious textbooks deal with questions about how an individual should behave and society should be. E.g., In Jainism, Non-Veg is unethical, while in Islam, there is no such restriction.
Culture: Values vary with cultures. Eg: Western cultures = Individualistic | Indian = Universalism and Multiplicity
Law & Constitution: The law and constitution often incorporate ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe.
Leadership: The leadership of a society or an organization, or a nation also helps to determine the conduct of its followers or admirers. For example, democratic, liberal, secular, and tolerant tradition has been the gift makers of modern Indian society.
Philosophies: Various philosophers and thinkers subscribe to different sets of ethics.
Geography: Brahmins of West Bengal eat fish (a non-veg diet) as geography dictates them to eat fish to survive
Economic Factors: profiteering is considered unethical in communist societies, while profit is considered ethical in capitalist societies.
Dimensions of Ethics
It should be seen from two aspects
1. Indian
Ashrama Dharma: According to this philosophy, life is divided into 4 Ashramas, and the conduct and behaviour of a person should be according to those Ashramas. These 4 Ashramas are
Brahmacharya Ashrama: A person should focus on learning in this phase
Grihastha Ashrama (Family Phase): A person should focus on fulfilling familial obligations.
Vanaprastha Ashrama: A person renunciates his worldly occupations.
Sanyasa Ashrama: A person gives up his worldly possessions and devotes himself to spiritual matters.
Behaviours in line with this ashrama corresponding to the age of the person are considered Ethical.
Varna Dharma
The Varna Dharma states that people belonging to different Varnas should follow their prescribed duties.
But it doesn’t conform to the modern principles of equality and freedom.
2. Western
Normative Ethics / Prescriptive Ethics: It concerns ‘what we ought to do’ and provides criteria and principles for deciding right and wrong. It is of two types.
Teleological / Consequentialist: It looks at the end (consequences) for deciding right or wrong. E.g.: Utilitarianism / Hedonism
Deontological: It looks at means instead of end while deciding right or wrong Eg: Kant’s Categorical Imperative, Gita’s Nishkama Karma etc.
Descriptive / Comparative Ethics: The study of the moral beliefs and practices of different peoples and cultures in various places and times.
Meta-Ethics: It looks at the origins and meaning of ethical principles. Metaethics does not answer the questions of right or wrong. E.g., Integrity is Ethical Principle. Meta-Ethics will look into what it means to be a person with integrity.
Virtue Ethics: It is person rather than action based. According to this approach, a virtuous person always does the right thing. It guides the sort of characteristics a reasonable person should seek to achieve. These characteristics include justice, fortitude etc.
Applied Ethics: It is part of ethics which attempts to analyze the ethicality of real-life controversial situations such as war, animal rights, capital punishment, euthanasia, whistle-blowing, media ethics, International Ethics etc
Aligning Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude with each other and Behaviour
The main thing to note is
Our Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude should align with each other.
Our Behaviour should be in line with each one of them.
Why should Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitudes be in line with each other?
It is required that Ethics, Morals, Values and Attitude are aligned with each other. If they are not aligned, it will leave a person with immense confusion and emotional turmoil, and he willn’t be able to make decisions easily. Hence, the more aligned they are, the more peace and tranquillity a person will have.
Side Topic: Behaviour
Behaviour is anything which a person does and can be observed.
All the behaviours are the product of heredity and the environment (in which he lives)
B= Heredity X
Environment
Some behaviours are more hereditary and less environmental, and vice-versa.
Why should the behaviour be in line with Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude?
If both are not aligned, it will result in
If a
person’s values are not in line with behavior
Conflict
If a
person’s attitude is not in
line with behavior
Dissonance
If a
person’s morals are not in line with behavior
Guilt
If a person’s ethics are not in line with behavior
Social Isolation & Social Ostracization
All of them have one thing in common: they are Aversive States (a state which you dislike). Therefore, the effort is not to have inconsistency.
But often, inconsistency happens if we have justification for our behaviour. If we have justification, the aversion caused by inconsistencies will minimize, and a person will continue with those behaviours.
Explanation for Inconsistency
Cost-Benefit Analysis: Humans take their actions based on the Cost-Benefit Analysis. A person shows behaviour if its benefit exceeds the costs involved. In ordinary conditions, the costs involved in showing deviant behaviour are emotional and mental, which generally overpower physical costs. Hence, a person goes with behaviour aligned with their Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude. But when the physical costs are more than the emotional and social costs, a person shows inconsistency in their behaviour.
Justification for behaviour: If somebody has justification for his behaviour, the person will show that behaviour even if it doesn’t align with his ethics, values, morals and attitude. For example, kings used to marry many women, which was immoral & unethical, but they still did. The reason was that they had justification for their behaviour, i.e. king had to marry many women to protect their subjects’ interests.
When to look for ethicality or morality in Action
If we want to look into the ethicality and morality of any action, it must first be Human Action.
For any action to be Human Action, three essential conditions must be met.
1. There must be some human knowledge of the consequences of that action.
E.g., If a child dips a mobile in water, one can’t check the ethicality of action because the Child had no knowledge about the consequences of his action.
2. Action should be done voluntarily, i.e. without compulsion.
If work is done under some compulsion, then ethics and morality don’t come into the scene.
E.g., If somebody places a gun on your forehead and asks you to do something. In such a scenario, we shouldn’t judge the ethicality of action.
3. There should be a presence of different choices
There should be several choices to choose from.
Hence, Freedom of Will should be present in such acts.
Questions on Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitudes
1. Are they static or dynamic?
These are neither static nor dynamic but RELATIVELY PERMANENT.
Explanation: Dynamic and Static represent extremes. Dynamic means fastly changing, and Static means they hardly change. These things can change, but change comes very slowly.
Why are they Relatively Permanent?
Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitudes are the source of one’s identity (i.e. who one is). Individuals want them to be a stable identity. Hence, the idea of rapid change in these four things is out of the question.
A person develops Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude (EVMA) with a massive investment of time, cost and energy & to change them, one needs time, cost and energy as well. When these investments are required, people don’t change these things easily.
There is guilt whenever there is a departure from the built-in ethics, values, morals and attitudes.
Question: The environment changes
very rapidly at times, but still, we find that Ethics, Morals, Values and
Attitudes don’t change so rapidly. If Ethics and Morals are instruments that
ensure our equilibrium with the environment, then how can we hold the belief
that EVMA are Relatively Permanent, but the environment is changing?
Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude (EVMA) are the basis of our identity. But we must keep in mind that a spectrum of behaviours can be conferment to a single EVMA. This fact helps the person adjust to the rapidly changing environment as one can decide which behaviour to display in a particular environment.
Depending upon the environment, we can decide which behaviour we will display. E.g., Patriotism. Patriotism as a value can be defined as a collection of behaviours directed towards nation-building.
Each one has the value of patriotism, but they show them in different behaviours permissible under the value of patriotism.
In the context of defence services, patriotism demands readiness to lay down one’s life to protect the nation. According to you, what does patriotism implies in everyday civil life? Explain with examples. (Upsc ) (10 marks)
2. Are they Absolute or Relative?
Absolute: Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude (EVMA) are context and situation-independent. They are always valid and apply to anyone, anywhere and anytime. E.g., honesty, integrity, justice, accountability etc.
Relative: Ethics, Values, Morals and Attitude (EVMA) depend on context and situation. They change with time, place and circumstances.
Time
With time, patriarchal values are losing their sheen in Indian culture.
Place
If a person migrates to the US from India, they must adopt certain American values to integrate into society.
Circumstances
For example, even those who are against capital punishment can support hanging in certain heinous cases. E.g., Nirbhaya Case when people across the spectrum supported the hanging of those who committed the heinous crime.
There is no exact answer to the above question. Some scholars believe in absoluteness, and others believe in relativeness. But the way human beings generally are, they operate in relative terms.
Moreover, the absolute school overlooks the need to respect diversity and the view that the consequence of an act is also a factor in deciding the ethicality of that act. Telling a lie is unethical, but in cases where ordinary Germans lied to the Nazi officials to save the life of Jews can’t be considered unethical or immoral.
But relativism school can also be challenged because, in this school, there is no common framework for resolving moral disputes or for reaching an agreement on ethical matters among members of different societies.
3. Whether they are culture-specific or universal?
They are both culture-specific as well as universal.
Some EVMA are universal, e.g. love, integrity, commitment etc. People of every culture would have these.
But some of them are culture-specific too. E.g., Some EVMA unique to Indian culture are
Familial Obedience
Collectivism (western cultures value Individualism)
4. Are they Subjective or Objective?
There
are contrasting viewpoints wrt the values being objective or subjective. For
example,
According to Plato, values lie outside the individual and are not dependent on their perception or beliefs. Take the example of beauty. According to Plato, a beautiful person will look beautiful to everyone.
On the contrary, Protagoras believes in the subjectivity of values. According to Protagoras, all values depend upon the human observer. He refuted Plato’s claims by arguing that ‘beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.’
Conclusion: Mostly, the
values are subjective as individual differences occur wrt perception,
understanding and judgement. Amidst the subjectivity of the values, there have
to be some objective values which bind the individuals in society and avoid
chaos in the society. These include values such as integrity, compassion etc.
This article deals with ‘India-Africa Relations .’ This is part of our series on ‘International Relations’, which is an important pillar of the GS-2 syllabus. For more articles, you can click here.
Brief History
Geographically speaking, peninsular India and Africa were once part of ‘Gondwanaland’.
Asia and Africa have historically enjoyed trade and cultural relations dating over a millennium. Monsoon wind has helped to develop commercial ties between India and Africa. Sailors from India sailed using South East monsoonal winds to reach Africa (from June to September) and the North Eastern monsoonal winds (from December to March) to sail back. The written evidence of trade can be found in a 10th-century book named ‘Periplus of the Erythraean Sea’.
The Father of the nation, i.e. Mahatma Gandhi, had a close connection with Africa. In 1893, Gandhi went on an assignment to Africa. During his stay in Africa, he witnessed severe racial discrimination. He evolved in South Africa and practised the concept of Satyagraha, which eventually emerged as a technique of mass mobilization in India.
After independence, India raised its voice for the liberation of African colonies at international forums such as the UN. E.g., India accorded full diplomatic recognition to the South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), which was fighting for Namibia’s independence and provided material assistance in the fight against Apartheid in South Africa.
During Cold War Era, newly independent African nations and India were part of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Natural Allies
India
and Africa are natural allies because
Both fought big wars against imperialism.
Both were fighting against the capitalist system / neo-colonialism.
Both have diverse cultures, languages etc.
Both have underutilization of resources, although they are rich in resources.
India and African nations have similar interests in WTO and other multilateral organizations.
India and African nations also cooperate on issues pertaining to climate change & Paris Accord.
India has always emphasized ‘South-South Cooperation’, and Africa is an important component of that scheme.
Why Africa is important?
1. Political changes
With the end of debilitating conflicts like those in Sudan, South Africa etc., African countries are now embracing the value of democracy and good governance.
2. Economic importance
Africa is resource-rich and is endowed with 10% of the world’s oil and 40% of the world’s gold.
Africa is the fastest-growing continent. According to a World Bank report, out of the 15 fastest-growing economies, 7 are from Africa.
Due to economic development, the New middle class is emerging in Africa, creating a potential market.
3. Energy needs
African countries have rich oil deposits, which can help India diversify its oil imports.
In 2017, India organized the India-Africa Hydrocarbons Conference to showcase its expertise in oil exploration, refining and drilling technology.
4. Strategic Location
The location of Africa is strategic as it helps India to connect to Central and South Americas through the Cape of Good Hope and to West Asia through the African Maghreb.
5. Maritime interests
India and African nations can collaborate to protect Sea Lanes of Commerce, especially against piracy in Somali waters. Somalia is an easy base for piracy due to the absence of a stable government.
6. Diplomatic Reasons
India needs the votes of African nations in her favour to get things done at international forums. At international forums, the value of Burundi’s vote is equal to the USA’s vote.
Indian Investments in Africa
1. Energy
Various private and public Indian corporations are involved in
energy projects in Africa. These include
ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) has invested in Sudan, Ivory Coast, Libya, Egypt, Nigeria and Gabon.
Reliance has invested in equity oil in Sudan.
Essar has procured blocks in Madagascar and Nigeria.
India has completed a $200 million pipeline from Khartoum to Port Sudan on the Red sea.
ONGC has invested in Mozambique’s Rovuma Basin.
India has entered into a Joint Venture for manufacturing Phosphate Fertilizers in Morocco (Morocco has 75% of the world’s phosphate reserves).
At India Africa Forum Summit (2015), India announced a US$ 10 billion line of credit to help finance the projects in African countries.
India is Africa’s fifth largest foreign investor, with investments amounting to $54 billion.
Cooperation with African Development Bank (AfDB): India joined AfDB in 1983 and has contributed to its General Capital.
India has initiated a Namaskar Africa program to showcase its domestic strengths in the sectors where it can assist Africa.
4. Pharmaceutical and health
India is known as the ‘Pharmacy of the Third World ‘. Africans rely heavily on Indian generic drugs in their fight against HIV and other diseases on the continent.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, India assisted African countries by supplying the vaccine.
5. IT technology
India has built Pan-African E-Network. It was launched in 2006with the aim of providing satellite connectivity, tele-education and telemedicine services to African countries.
Indian IT firms like Tata Consultancy, HCL, NIIT and Aptech have launched their operations across Africa.
6. Agriculture
India is helping African nations to replicate the Indian “green revolution model” in Africa.
Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. and Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) are engaged in water management projects across Africa.
India imports pulses from Mozambique.
7. Defence Diplomacy
African military cadets are trained at NDA & IMA.
8. Diaspora
In 1833, slavery was abolished in Britain. After this, a new system, called the indentured labour system, evolved. The British brought bonded labour from India to work on sugar plantations and cotton plantations. During the colonial period, an estimated 7.7 lakh Indians migrated to Mauritius, South Africa, Reunion Island, Seychelles, and East-African.
9. Deepening the democracy
India provides a valuable model for African nations of democratic development. India is helping African countries set up democratic institutions such as Election Commission.
10. Sub-national & State Collaborations
Governments of Indian states and African nations are also
collaborating on various issues. Examples in this regard include
Ethiopia and South Africa are working with Kudumbashree (SHG movement of the Government of Kerala ).
Punjabi farmers have been invited by countries like Zambia, Uganda and Tanzania to scientifically cultivate the lands in these countries.
11. Climate Change
African nations are one of the lowest contributors of GHG emissions but the biggest sufferers of climate channel. India can assist African nations in dealing with the problem.
12. Others
A large number of Indian companies are already operational in Africa. These include Taj Group, Bharti Airtel, Essar’s Yu brand in Kenyan Telecom, Ranbaxy, Vedanta, Tata Coffee, Mahindra, Ashok Leyland, Maruti etc.
India has sent Peace Keeping Forces (PKFs) to Namibia, Mozambique, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Congo and Sudan.
Indian assistance is seen positively because all the assistance is provided without any conditionality and is driven to help Africans grow. While assisting the African development process, India does not follow the white man’s burden approach but intends to share its own knowledge and developmental experiences with Africa for the mutual benefit of both.
Challenges
1. Instability and governance issues
African nations have political instability and weak institutional capacity to enforce the rule of law. Hence, Indian corporations hesitate to make long-term investments in African countries.
2. China factor
Chinese Investments in Africa
As the Chinese economy began to grow by the 1990s, it also began to search for resources. Africa, being a resource-rich region, was a natural choice. Moreover, China also found Africa to be a favourable market for its goods. Hence, China launched the ‘Going Out’ Policy in 2001, encouraging Chinese corporations to set up bases in Africa to gain access to natural resources and tap the local markets for Chinese goods. Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an enhanced version of the ‘Going Out’ policy.
China is favoured by a large number of authoritarian regimes in Africa because China follows a no-strings-attached aid policy.
African countries have witnessed a phenomenal increase in trade with China, from $7 billion in 2000 to $ 220 billion in 2019 (compared to India’s $70 billion).
China is investing in massive infrastructure projects, especially under Maritime Silk Road. eg
Mombasa Port in Kenya
Djibouti – Addis Ababa Railway line,
Transcontinental Railway Line
Chinese Projects in Africa
Countries like Zimbabwe have declared that Chinese RENMINBI can be used as legal tender.
The first Chinese Military base has become operational in Djibouti.
Many Chinese are visiting Africa, giving impetus to the African Tourism sector.
But
China concentrates on infrastructure and cheque-book diplomacy, whereas Indian programmes focus on developing Africa’s human resources.
Chinese philosophy can be summarised as China goes to an African nation, sets up industries and factories, exports Chinese labour to Africa, digs out resources from the nation, and brings the resources back using the infrastructure they have created to connect the industry to the port. In this entire Chinese model, the African country does not stand to gain anything except very little monetary profit in the form of taxation. It has led to a lot of disenchantment in the local people, ultimately leading to hatred against the Chinese presence.
3. Rise of Islamic Terrorism in Africa
Extremist groups like Boko Haram, Al-Qaida and ISIS have become active in countries like Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan etc.
4. Financial Implications
In terms of chequebook diplomacy and providing aid to African nations, India cannot compete with China or the US.
5. Africans in India
Indians stereotype Africans as drug dealers and prostitutes. The stereotyping leads to racial attacks on Africans living in India.
6. Others
Africa is facing Dutch Disease (i.e. over-dependence on natural resource exports harms the growth of the non-resource sector.)
Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC)
It is an Indo-Japanese Project aimed at the socioeconomic development of Asia and Africa.
What is Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC)?
AAGC is India and Japan’s economic cooperation agreement which aims to create a “free and open Indo-Pacific region” by rediscovering ancient sea routes and creating new sea corridors to link Africa & Asia.
Key elements of AAGC
Building quality infrastructure
Enhancing capacities and skills
People-to-people partnership.
Development and cooperation projects in health and pharmaceuticals, agriculture and agro-processing farming, manufacturing and disaster management.
A challenge to Chinese OBOR
AAGC is an initiative led by India and Japan to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
But AAGC differs from China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) project because it is more open and inclusive. The projects taken up under AAGC will be based on consultations with the local population. It will keep people as the centrepiece.
Besides, AAGC will focus on building sea corridors connecting Asia and Africa in contrast to OBOR, which also has land-based components.
Recommendations / Way Forward
Recognize diversity: Africa is not a monolith but a continent representing 54 countries. India should recognize diversity while formulating its African foreign policy.
Avoid emulating the Chinese, as there are pitfalls in that approach. China’s mercantilist approach has left many Africans disenchanted.
Rope in the Indian Diaspora: More than three million people of Indian origin live in Africa. India should use its diaspora to further its interests in Africa.
Using Indian soft power: During the Ebola epidemic, India gave the maximum donations among all nations. Besides, India has spent $150 million on Pan Africa e-Network. But nobody in Africa knows about these initiatives. A better media campaign is desirable.
Being one of the largest democracies in the world, India can share its democratic experience and provide training on electronic voting systems, parliamentary procedures and federal governance.
Last Updated: June 2023 (Conscience as a Source of Ethical Guidance)
Table of Contents
Conscience as a Source of Ethical Guidance
This article deals with ‘Ethical Issues in International Relations and Funding.’ This is part of our series on ‘Ethics’. For more articles, you can click here.
What is Conscience?
Conscience is the intrinsic intuitive capacity to discriminate between right and wrong.
The common metaphors for conscience include the “voice within“.
In contrast to the law, which is an external source of ethical guidance, conscience is the internal source of ethical guidance. Conscience comes into play when the mind passes a judgement on the rightness and wrongness of a particular act.
Conscience is also essential as a tool of ethical conduct where the law is silent or where a person has to exercise their discretion, whether in public or private life. Additionally, when laws become outdated and require renewal, conscience helps recognize the need to initiate the process and progress toward the most suitable form. In other words, conscience comes into play when compliance and cognitive ethics fail.
It supplements the role of law and rules in providing for ethical governance. In the absence of conscience, one may adhere to the letter of the law but may violate its spirit with impunity.
Limitations of Conscience
Conscience is not necessarily a product of a rational deduction but is something that can be influenced by the indoctrination of one’s parentage, social class, religion or culture. Hence, it is subjective and not objective.
Conscience often promotes social dogmas. E.g. somebody’s conscience may not allow him to allow Dalits to eat in his shop if his family values are like that.
It leads to multiplicity and inconsistency. Unlike the law that is consistent and equally applied to all in similar conditions, every person’s conscience can give him a different answer when faced with the same situation.
When should we go with our Conscience?
To avoid the above limitations, Conscience can be divided into different types
True Conscience
Which is in line
with rational morality
False Conscience
Which
isn’t in line with rational morality
We should go with our conscience only when we know it is ‘True Conscience’. Although it is advisable that whenever you hear an “inner voice”, you must hear it. But because of inherent deficiencies, you must not blindly follow that inner voice. Think about it and evaluate it rationally. If the answer is yes, you must follow your conscience and act according to that.
Crisis of Conscience
When conscience fails to guide an individual in any specific situation due to a particular experience, it can be called a Crisis of Conscience. Individuals lose the ability to determine right and wrong.
It happens in a situation which is ambiguous in terms of the values involved and their consequences. As a result, an individual cannot resolve an ethical dilemma using his moral sense.
For instance, an IPS officer is given the duty to regulate the peaceful protest by farmers against corporations. Things were under control, and nobody indulged in violence. But, suddenly, the officer is asked to resort to strict measures, including firing at the protestors. The officer in such a situation can face a crisis of conscience as the situation is ambiguous.
