Ethics articles series by Tirthankar Sir

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“Empowering Endeavours”
ethics concept series by t. roychowdhary
Meaning of Ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of phi-
losophy that “involves systematizing, defending,
and recommending concepts of right and wrong
behavior”.
Ethics refers to a set of standards, norms, principles
or directives that a society places over itself and
against which actions of individuals are judged from
the viewpoint of rightness and wrongness or good-
ness and badness.
Ethics thus, is the branch of philosophy that con-
templates what is right and wrong. It explores the
nature of morality and examines how people should
live their lives in relation to others. Ethics is the ra-
tional study of the meaning and justification of
moral claims. A moral claim evaluates the right-
ness or wrongness of an action or a person’s
character. For example, “Lying is wrong” claims the
act of lying is wrong, while “One shouldn’t be lazy”
claims a character trait (i.e., laziness) is wrong.
Meta-ethics, Normative-ethics and
Applied-ethics
Ethics is usually divided into three distinct subject
areas: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied
ethics.
a) Meta Ethics: Meta Ethics is the study of eth-
ical ideas or ethical language. Metaethics
examines the nature of moral claims and
arguments. Meta-ethics, investigates big pic-
ture questions such as, “What is morality?”
“What is justice?” “Is there truth?” and “How
can I justify my beliefs as better than conflict-
ing beliefs held by others?” This partly in-
volves attempting to determine if moral claims
have clear essential meanings (i.e., they avoid
vagueness and ambiguity). But it also attempts
to answer questions such as: Are moral claims
expressions of individual emotions? Are moral
claims social inventions? Are moral claims di-
vine commands? Can one justify moral claims?
How does one justify them?
b) Normative Ethics: Another branch of moral
philosophy is normative ethics. It answers the
question of what we ought to do. Normative
ethics focuses on providing a framework for
deciding what is right and wrong. Three com-
mon frameworks are deontology, consequen-
tialism (utilitarianism), and virtue ethics.
Normative ethics examines moral standards
that attempt to define right and wrong con-
duct. Historically, this has involved examining
good and bad habits, duties, or an action’s con-
sequences. In addition, historically, normative
ethics has focused on the prospect of a single
moral standard defining right and wrong con-
duct; but it has become more common for phi-
losophers to propose a moral pluralism with
multiple moral standards.
c) Applied Ethics: It addresses specific, practi-
cal issues of moral importance. For example,
one is doing applied ethics when one address-
es the morality of specific practical issues like
abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, en-
vironmental concerns, homosexuality, terror-
ism etc. By using the conceptual tools of me-
taethics and normative ethics, discussions
in applied ethics try to resolve these issues.
Applied ethics also tackles specific moral chal-
lenges that people face daily, such as whether
they should lie to help a friend or a co-worker.
While metaethics, normative ethics, and applied
ethics are distinct subjects, these subjects are in-
terdependent. For example, how one pursues nor-
mative ethics will be greatly affected by one’s meta-
ethical assumptions. If one assumes, for example,
that moral claims are divine commands, then
one’s normative positions will be determined by
identifying divine commands. Given this relation-
ship between metaethics and normative ethics, it is
common for metaethical questions to arise during a
discussion on normative ethics. Similarly, how one
pursues applied ethics will be greatly affected
by one’s normative assumptions. If one assumes
that one always should pursue those actions
which lead to the best consequences, then one’s
position on, for example, capital punishment,
abortion, and terrorism will be determined by
identifying which action(s) will lead to the best
consequences. This interdependence between me-
taethics, normative ethics and applied ethics is the
core of all moral philosophical studies, interpreta-
tions and interpolations.
01_Meaning and Dimensions of Ethics

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Consequentialist ethics
Consequentialism, as the name suggests, bases mo-
rality on the consequences of human actions and
not on the actions themselves, its emphasis, thus, is
on the rightness of the ‘end’ rather than morality of
the ‘means’ employed. Three subdivisions of conse-
quentialism are:
• Ethical egoism
• Ethical altruism
• Utilitarianism
Ethical egoism is an ethical position which
claims that it is always right to do what would
benefit you the most. In other words what ever
will give the best outcome to you is the most moral
thing to pursue
Ethical Altruism is an ethical doctrine that
holds that individuals have a moral obliga-
tion to help, serve or benefit others, if necessary at
the sacrifice of self interest.
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is a normative-consequentialist ethi-
cal theory that places the locus of right and wrong
solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choos-
ing one action/policy over other actions/policies.
The underlying principle of utilitarianism is that an
action is right if it produces greatest good for the
greatest number. According to this perspective, an
action is morally right if the consequences of that
action are more favourable than unfavourable to ev-
eryone’.
In normative ethics the idea of utilitarianism
emerged from the writings of 18th- and 19th-cen-
tury English philosophers and economists namely
Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill.
Deontological Ethics
Deontology (or Deontological Ethics) is an ap-
proach to Ethics that focuses on the rightness or
wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to
the rightness or wrongness of the consequences
of those actions (Consequentialism).
Therefore it is sometimes described as “duty-based”
or “obligation-based” ethics, because Deontolo-
gists believe that ethical rules bind people to their
duty.
Modern deontological ethics was introduced by
Immanuel Kant in the late 18th Century, with his
theory of the Categorical Imperative. Categorical
Imperatives command unconditionally. They are
non-negotiable and should be always adhered to.
E.g. “Don’t cheat in your exam.” Even if you want to
cheat and doing so would serve your interests, you
should not cheat, as cheating is inherently bad.
Virtue Ethics
Virtues are good traits of character and vices are
bad traits of character. Virtue ethics is person
rather than action based: it looks at the virtue or
moral character of the person carrying out an ac-
tion, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the
consequences of particular actions.
Virtue ethics not only deals with the rightness or
wrongness of individual actions, it provides guid-
ance as to the sort of characteristics and behaviours
a good person will seek to achieve. In that way, vir-
tue ethics is concerned with the whole of a person’s
life, rather than particular episodes or actions. A
good person is someone who lives virtuously - who
possesses and lives the virtues. Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle are the biggest proponents of vir-
tue-ethics.

Meaning of “Value” in Ethics
The word value is an ambiguous term as it has been
used, indiscriminately, by Philosophers, Psycholo-
gists, Administrators, Political scientists, Econo-
mists, Sociologists, Historians, Anthropologists,
Engineers, Medical practioners, Lawyers and so
on; hence it becomes indispensible for us to have
a look at the etymological origin of the word to
understand its meaning in the context of ethics.
The word “Value” is derived from the Latin word
‘Valere’ meaning “to be of worth”. Therefore, et-
ymologically the term value denotes the worth of
something. The word ‘value’ came to ethics by the
way of economics. In Economics, it is used for
a) value in use that is, the capacity of object to sat-
isfy a human need or desire and
b) value in exchange or the amount of one com-
modity that can be obtained in exchange for an-
other.
Generally, an object is said to have value, if it contrib-
utes to the satisfaction of a human need. In ethics,
values mean our core ideas or beliefs that guide
our action. Values are acquired from knowledge,
awareness, experience or through the process of so-
cialization. These ideas or beliefs are dear to us and
on the basis of these ideas we decide what is right
andwhatiswrong.Thusvaluesaresomethingthat
are desirable and worthy of esteem for their own
sake. Values have an intrinsic worth in ‘usefulness
or importance’ to the possessor. Values are princi-
ples, standards, or qualities considered worthwhile
or desirable. Good values engender good thoughts
and ultimately translate into good behaviour.
What are Human values?
Humanvaluesarethevirtues(i.e.desirabletraits
of character) that guide us to take into account
the human element when we interact with oth-
er human beings. Human values are those values
which help man to live in harmony with the world.
Without values, human life would be drained of
significance, degenerating into a bland and tex-
tureless existence without differentiation.
Human values contain mankind’s deepest moral
aspirations and form the basis of our lives as in-
dividuals and as societies. Human values are ‘Uni-
versal’ in nature as they shared by all human beings
irrespective of their religion, nationality or cultural
background. Human values induce consideration
for fellow human beings.
Classification of Human values
A] Terminal values and Instrumental values
Terminal values are the core permanent values
that often become the traits of one’s character.
They can be good or bad. They are very hard to
change. Terminal Values include things like hap-
piness, self respect, family security, recognition,
freedom, inner harmony, comfortable life, pro-
fessional excellence, etc. terminal values are desir-
able states of existence.
Instrumental values are a part of a values defi-
nition created by social psychologist Milton
Rokeach. He defined instrumental values as
those which are specific modes of behavior.
They are not an end goal, but provide a means
by which an end goal is accomplished.
In a nutshell, Terminal Values signify the objec-
tives of the life of a person – the ultimate things
the person wants to achieve through his or her
behaviour (the destination he wants to reach in life)
whereas Instrumental Values indicate the meth-
ods an individual would like to adopt for achieving
his life’s aim (the path he would like to take to reach
his destination).
B] Intrinsic values and Extrinsic values
An intrinsic value is one which has worth in its
own right. It is an end- in-itself. Intrinsic values
are good irrespective of the consequences they
bring. Intrinsic value has traditionally been thought
to lie at the heart of ethics. Honesty, temperance,
courage, happiness, peace etc are examples of
intrinsic values.
An Extrinsic value is one which is a means to at-
tainsomeotherintrinsicvalue.Itisofinstrumen-
tal worth only as they serve as means to achieve
an end. Values such as health, money, fame, status,
intelligence, and so on are the ‘means-values’ or
‘path-values’ which help achieve the end values.
02_Human Values

4
C] Institutional values and Individual values
Institutional values are propagated by political,
social, economic or cultural institutions. For ex-
ample in a democratic society liberty becomes an in-
stitutional value. Similarly loyalty becomes a value
in a social institution like marriage. Individual val-
ues include both intrinsic and extrinsic values
which are considered important by the posses-
sor of these values. Self-esteem and fame can be
thought of as such values.
How are Values formed?
People’s value system comprises both sets of
values—terminal and instrumental—which are
developed and reinforced through the culture
in which they grow on one side and the environ-
ment on the other.
Socialisation from parents, religious institutions,
friends, personal experiences, and society contrib-
ute to the formation of values in individuals. The
individual values are affected by our belief system,
prevailing social systems, and to some extent so-
cio- economic conditions. The terminal values are
formed over the years, whereas the instrumen-
tal values are determined by situations.
Fundamental Human Values
The values which are considered basic inherent
values in humans include truth, honesty, loyalty,
love, peace, etc. because they bring out the fun-
damental goodness of human beings and society
at large. Further, since these values are unifying in
nature and cut across individual’s social, cultur-
al, religious and sectarian interests; they are also
considered universal, timeless and eternal apply-
ing to all human beings.
GRID OF HUMAN VALUES AND SUB-VALUES
Right-Conduct Peace Truth Love Non-violence
Manners Patience Truthfulness Kindness Consideration
Awareness Concentration Honesty Forgiveness Stewardship
Responsibility Positiveness Fairness Generosity Justice
Independence Self-acceptance Trust Compassion Respect
Perseverance Self-discipline Reflection Tolerance Cooperation
Courage Contentment Determination Service Harmlessness

Meaning of Attitude
Attitude refers to a psychological tendency that
is expressed by evaluating a particular object
with some degree of favour or disfavour. “Object”
includes people, things, events, and issues. Attitudes
are the feelings and beliefs that determine the be-
haviour of the persons. They provide framework for
responding in a particular fashion.
Attitudes may be positive or negative. Positive at-
titudes yield favourable behaviour and negative at-
titudes yield unfavourable behaviour. According to
theorists, an attitude is “a relatively enduring or-
ganization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioural
tendencies towards socially significant objects,
groups, events or symbols”
Components of Attitude
Rosenberg and Hovland have expressed the tri-
partite view and stated that an attitude contains
cognitive, affective, and behavioural components
Every attitude has three components that are repre-
sented in what is called the ABC model of attitudes:
A for affective, B for behavioral and C for cogni-
tive. Although every attitude has these three com-
ponents, any particular attitude can be based on one
component more than another.
1) Cognitivecomponent: Thecognitivecomponent
of attitudes denotes to the beliefs, thoughts,
and attributes that people would associate with
an object. Many times a person’s attitude might
be based on the negative and positive attributes
they associate with an object. When we form
our opinion or judgment on the basis of avail-
able information and decide whether you
have a favourable or unfavourable opinion
on that, it is the cognitive part of an attitude
we are talking about.
2) Affective component: The affective component
of attitudes is related to feelings or emotions
(e.g., fear, sympathy, hate, like, pleasure) of
people linked to an attitude object. Affec-
tive responses influence attitudes in a number
of ways. For example, many people are afraid /
scared of spiders. So this negative affective re-
sponse is likely to cause you to have a negative
attitude towards spiders. Affect plays a very im-
portant role in attitude formation. Also, affect is
a common component in attitude change. How
we feel about an outcome may override pure-
ly cognitive rationales.
3) Behavioural component: The behavioural
component of attitudes refers to a tendency or
a predisposition to act in a certain manner. The
predisposition to behave in a certain manner
may be caused by affective and cognitive compo-
nents.
Attitude and Values
Attitude is all about whether you like or dislike
something. Value is a belief (about what is import-
ant). Value can exist in itself. Attitudes are formed
on the basis of underlying values.
Explicit and Implicit attitudes
• Explicit Attitude (Conscious) – If a person is
aware of his attitudes and how they influence his
behaviour, then those attitudes are explicit. Ex-
plicit attitudes are formed consciously. These are
largely governed by the cognitive component.
• Implicit Attitude (Sub-Conscious) – If a per-
son is unaware of his attitudes (beliefs) and how
they influence his behaviour, then those atti-
tudes are implicit. Implicit attitudes are formed
sub-consciously. These are largely influenced by
affective experiences.
03_Attitude

6
Dimensions of attitudes
The structure of attitudes can be examined by ex-
ploring their STRENGTH, ACCESSIBILITY and AM-
BIVALANCE.
1) Attitude Strength
Attitudes differ in strength. Some attitudes are
strong while some attitudes are weak. The strength
with which an attitude is held is often a good predic-
tor of behaviour. The stronger the attitude the more
likely it should affect behaviour
2) Attitude Accessibility
Attitude accessibility refers to the ease with which
attitudes can be retrieved from memory, in other
words how readily available is an attitude about an
object, issue, or situation. Attitudes that are more
accessible from memory are more predictive of be-
haviour and are more stable across time
3) Attitude Ambivalence
Attitude ambivalence refers to the fact that our eval-
uations of objects, issues, events, or people are not
always uniformly positive or negative; our evalu-
ations are often mixed, consisting of both positive
and negative reactions. In other words when we
simultaneously possess both positive and negative
attitudes toward the object in question we exhibit
attitude ambivalence.
Attitude-Functions
Daniel Katz classified attitudes into different
groups based on their functions
• Knowledge function: knowing one’s or other’s
attitude imparts knowledge.
• Ego-defensive function: attitudes can help peo-
ple protect their self-esteem and avoid depres-
sion.
• Ego-expressive function: used to express one’s
core values or beliefs.
• Instrumental function: helps to choose what is
rewarding (and also avoid punishment).
• Social Acceptance function: adapt to the so-
cially approved attitudes of a larger group.

04_Foundational Values in Civil Services
The Necessity of Foundational Values
Under modern rights based governance systems
the concept of public services is fast changing.
Bureaucrats today have become directly account-
able to the citizens. Modern Bureaucracy has to
respond to moral universe of the citizens.
Bureaucrats have discretionary powers, therefore
they must be provided with guiding principles to
prevent ‘abuse of power’. The foundational values
provide these guiding principles.
Major Foundational Values for Civil Ser-
vants
The major foundational values include the following
 Neutrality
 Anonymity
 Commitment and dedication to public ser-
vice
 Civil Activism
 Important Commandment for Civil Servants
 Civil Services Accountability
 Ethical Conduct of a Civil Servant
 Responsibility
 Courage of conviction
 Discipline
 Integrity
 Humility
 Impartiality
Neutrality
Neutrality is the tendency of not to side in a con-
flict (physical or ideological), which may not
suggest neutral parties do not have a side or are
not a side themselves. In colloquial use neutral can
be synonymous with unbiased approach. Neutrali-
ty implies tolerance regardless of how disagreeable,
deplorable, or unusual a perspective might be.
Anonymity
Anonymity is a key aspect of civil services. The
task of a civil servant is to assist the representatives
of the people by providing advice which is beneficial
for the society and country. He should work from be-
hind the curtains in an honest and non-partisan way,
helping the ministers to the best of his ability.
Integrity
Integrity is the fundamental moral concept in
civil services. It is an important basis of ethical
behaviour and ethical competency. It is associated
with the value of being honest and maintain strong
moral principles. Integrity includes financial integ-
rity, professional integrity and intellectual integrity.
Ethics and integrity are closely related. An ethical
person having strong moral values is bound to be a
man of integrity.
Impartiality
Impartiality implies that the behavior and treat-
ment by a bureaucrat to any individual or entity
has to be exclusively based on merit. To make fair,
just, equitable effective and efficient decisions, there
has to be absolute impartiality.
Objectivity
Objectivity is founding advice and decisions on
rigorous analysis of the evidence. It entails that
truth remains true universally, independently of hu-
man thought or approaches. An objective approach
is particularly important in decision-making pro-
cesses.
Dedication
Dedication is the eminence of people to be de-
voted or loyal to duty or purpose, thought or ac-
tion. Dedication is a vital personality trait of an indi-
vidual. This value gives the ability to continue acting
when motivation is lacking. Dedication will drive to
certain task rapidly

8
Empathy, Tolerance and Compassion
Public servants are meant to serve and this requires
developing a humanistic attitude. These values
guarantee that the public servants act sympatheti-
cally and interpret the rules to advance the public
interest. They must exhibit empathy, tolerance
and compassion towards the weaker sections.
Courage and Conviction
In public service, while facing different situa-
tions one may be buoyed by the circumstances,
fear, passions, greed since the decisions at the
helm would be affecting many interests, vested
or non-vested. It is during these trying moments
that courage of conviction helps a civil servant to
stay on the best course of action despite various
temptations and risks, staying firm in his beliefs,
values and duty. Hence, Courage of conviction as-
sumes importance in public service.
The spirit of service
The domain of civil service calls for duty in the spir-
it of service for country, society and its people
and sacrifices by putting aside greed, personal
entitlements and engagements. This is perhaps
the most important value that marks civil services
apart from other services and keeps the civil ser-
vants motivated to keep working for the welfare of
the people and betterment of the society.
Humility
Humility is the feeling or attitude that you have no
special importance that makes you better than oth-
ers or having a lack of pride. At first glance, humility
seems like a negative quality, almost like a sign of
weakness rather than strength. In reality, humility
is a type of modesty that helps the civil servants
to develop the art of empathy and dedication.
These foundational values creates an environment
of acceptance, and engenders currents that ulti-
mately lead to the creation of happiness and justice
for all

05_ Emotional Intelligence
Meaning of Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Emotional intelligence (sometimes referred to
as EQ) is the ability to perceive, understand, ex-
press, and control emotions.
Emotional intelligence has been defined, by Peter
Salovey and John Mayer, as “the ability to mon-
itor one’s own and other people’s emotions, to
discriminate between different emotions and
label them appropriately, and to use emotional
information to guide thinking and behavior”.
The concept was popularized in a 1995 book by
Daniel Goleman, in which he argues that emo-
tional intelligence counts more for success in life
than IQ does.
Difference between IQ and EQ
IQ is known as “Intelligence Quotient” and it’s a
measure of a person’s relative intelligence. Emo-
tional Quotient, also known as EQ, is the ability
to identify and manage your emotions and the
emotions of others.
Merriam-Webster defines IQ as “a number used
to express the apparent relative intelligence of
a person. Determined by either the ratio of the
mental age (as reported on a standardized test)
to the chronological age multiplied by 100 - or a
score determined by one’s performance on a stan-
dardized intelligence test relative to the average
performance of others of the same age. Emotional
Intelligence is measured through assessments.
Traits of Emotional Intelligence (EI)
The term emotional intelligence was coined by Pe-
ter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990, who described
it as consisting of five traits:
 Emotional Self-Awareness: The ability to mon-
itor your own feelings and recognize emotional
states as they occur.
 Self-Management: The ability to control im-
pulses, ensure that emotional reactions are ap-
propriate, and understand what underlies those
feelings.
 Self-Motivation: The ability to channel emo-
tions towards the achievement of personal goals.
This includes the ability to delay gratification
and stifle impulses.
 Empathy: The ability to read other people’s
emotional cues and to take their perspective, be-
ing sensitive to how their feelings may be differ-
ent.
 Managing Relationships: The ability to react
appropriately to the emotions of others as well
as manage one’s own; social competence.
Significance of Emotional Intelligence
(EI) in Public Services
 EI helps in better targeting of Beneficiary
schemes
 EI helps in motivating the sub-ordinates espe-
cially under exigent or demanding situations
 EI helps in appreciating the challenges of public
services better and helps in reducing stress
 EI helps in engendering policies that bring tangi-
ble improvements in the lives of the vulnerable
sections of the society
 EI act as a viable device to take relevant and
sound decisions
 EI helps in bridges the communication gap and
reduces the chances of mis-communication
 EI imparts flexibility, empathy and clarity
Ways to improve Emotional Intelligence
(EI)
1. Utilize an assertive style of communicating: -
Assertive communication goes a long way toward
earning respect without coming across as too ag-
gressive or too passive. Emotionally intelligent peo-
ple know how to communicate their opinions and
needs in a direct way while still respecting others.
2. Respond instead of reacting to conflict: - During
instances of conflict, emotional outbursts and feel-
ings of anger are common. The emotionally intelli-
gent person knows how to stay calm during stressful

10
situations. They don’t make impulsive decisions that
can lead to even bigger problems. They understand
that in times of conflict the goal is a resolution, and
they make a conscious choice to focus on ensuring
that their actions and words are in alignment with
that.
3. Utilize active listening skills: - In conversations,
emotionally intelligent people listen for clarity in-
stead of just waiting for their turn to speak.
4. Be motivated: -Emotionally intelligent people
are self-motivated and their attitude motivates oth-
ers. They set goals and are resilient in the face of
challenges.
5. Practice ways to maintain a positive attitude:
- Emotionally intelligent people have an awareness
of the moods of those around them and guard their
attitude accordingly.
6. Practice self-awareness: -Emotionally intelli-
gent people are self-aware and intuitive. They are
aware of their own emotions and how they can af-
fect those around them. They also pick up on others’
emotions and body language and use that informa-
tion to enhance their communication skills.
7. Take critique well: - An important part of in-
creasing your emotional intelligence is to be able to
take critique. Instead of getting offended or defen-
sive, high EQ people take a few moments to under-
stand where the critique is coming from, how it is
affecting others or their own performance and how
they can constructively resolve any issues.
8. Empathize with others: -Emotionally intelli-
gent people know how to empathize. They under-
stand that empathy is a trait that shows emotional
strength, not weakness. Empathy helps them to re-
late to others on a basic human level. It opens the
door for mutual respect and understanding between
people with differing opinions and situations.
9. Utilize leadership skills: -Emotionally intelli-
gent people have excellent leadership skills. They
have high standards for themselves and set an ex-
ample for others to follow. They take initiative and
have great decision making and problem-solving
skills. This allows for a higher and more productive
level of performance in life and at work.
10. Be approachable and sociable: -Emotionally
intelligent people come off as approachable. They
smile and give off a positive presence. They utilize
appropriate social skills based on their relationship
with whomever they are around. They have great
interpersonal skills and know how to communicate
clearly, whether the communication is verbal or
nonverbal.

06_ Probity in Governance
Meaning of Probity
Probity means integrity, uprightness and hon-
esty. For public servants probity is not the mere
avoidance of corruption but enforcement of im-
partiality, accountability, objectivity and trans-
parency.
Probity in governance is an essential and vital
requirement for an efficient and effective system
of governance and for socio-economic develop-
ment. An important requisite for ensuring probity
in governance is absence of corruption. The other
requirements are effective laws, rules and regula-
tions governing every aspect of public life and,
more important, an effective and fair implemen-
tation of those laws. Indeed, a proper, fair and ef-
fective enforcement of law is a facet of probity.
Nolan Principles
In 1994, the UK government established a Com-
mittee on Standards in Public Life. The commit-
tee was chaired by Lord Nolan, and was tasked with
making recommendations to improve standards of
behaviour in public life. The report of the committee
established the seven principles of public life, also
known as the “Nolan principles”. These principles
encourage probity in governance. The seven princi-
ples are:
• Selflessness – Holders of public office should act
solely in terms of the public interest. They should not
do so in order to gain financial or other benefits for
themselves, their family or their friends.
• Integrity – Holders of public office should not place
themselves under any financial or other obligation to
outside individuals or organisations that might seek
to influence them in the performance of their official
duties.
• Objectivity – In carrying out public business,
including making public appointments, awarding
contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards
and benefits, holders of public office should make
choices on merit.
• Accountability – Holders of public office are
accountable for their decisions and actions to the
public and must submit themselves to whatever
scrutiny is appropriate to their office.
• Openness – Holders of public office should be as
open as possible about all the decisions and actions
they take. They should give reasons for their decisions
and restrict information only when the wider public
interest clearly demands.
• Honesty – Holders of public office have a duty to
declare any private interests relating to their public
duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising
in a way that protects the public interest.
• Leadership – Holders of public office should
promote and support these principles by leadership
and example.
The Seven Principles of Public Life (also known as
the Nolan Principles) apply to anyone who works
as a public office-holder.
This includes all those who are elected or ap-
pointed to public office, nationally and locally,
and all people appointed to work in the Civil
Service, local government, the police, courts and
probation services, non-departmental public
bodies (NDPBs), and in the health, education,
social and care services. All public office-holders
are both servants of the public and stewards of
public resources. The principles also apply to all
those in other sectors delivering public services.
Philosophical basis of Probity in Gover-
nance
Probity is an indispensible component of any peo-
ple-centric government. Indian scriptures and texts
like Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita, Buddha Charita,
Arthashastra, Panchatantra, Hitopadesh etc. up-
hold the principles of probity. Chinese philosophers
like Loa Tse, Confucius and Mencius have cele-
brated the concept of probity
Aristotle holds that virtues such as justice, char-
ity and generosity are dispositions to act in ways
that benefit the possessor of these virtues and
the society of which he is a part.
For Immanuel Kant duty is central to morality.
Commitment to justice and probity become insep-
arable from the performance of duty. Utilitarian
viewpoint asserts that the highest happiness is
the greatest happiness of the greatest number
and it cannot be obtained without probity. Schol-

12
ars and leaders like John Locke, Thomas Hobbes,
Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma
Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Nelson Mandela,
Edmund Burke etc are also champions of probity.
Utility of Probity in Governance
 To ensure accountability in governance
 To maintain integrity in public services
 To ensure compliance with processes
 To preserve public confidence in Govern-
ment institutions and processes
 To avoid misconduct, fraud, mismanagement
or corruption

07_Codes of Ethics and
Codes of Conduct
Difference between codes of ethics and
codes of conduct
A Code of Ethics governs decision-making, and a
Code of Conduct governs actions. The primary dif-
ference between code of ethics and code of conduct
is that code of ethics is a set of principles which
influence the judgement while the code of con-
duct is a set of guidelines that influence actions.
Code of Ethics is an aspirational document, con-
taining core ethical values, principles and ideals
of any institution, organization or community.
Codes of Conduct is a directional document con-
taining specific practices and behavior that are
followed or restricted under the institution, or-
ganization or community. Code of Conduct origi-
nates from the code of ethics
Basis for
Comparison
Codes of
Ethics
Codes of
Conduct
Nature General Specific
Scope Wide Narrow
Governs Decision mak-
ing
Actions
Disclosure Publicly dis-
closed.
Only for
Employees or
insiders
Primary focus
is on
Values or prin-
ciples
Compliance
and rules
UN Convention against Corruption- Codes
of conduct for officials
 Each party shall promote integrity, honesty and
responsibility among its public officials, in ac-
cordance with the fundamental principles of its
legal system
 Each party shall endeavour to apply, within its
own institutional and legal systems, codes of
conduct for the correct, honourable and proper
performance of public functions
 Each party shall also consider establishing mea-
sures and systems to facilitate the reporting by
public officials of acts of corruption to appropri-
ate authorities, when such acts come to their no-
tice in the performance of their functions
 Each party shall also consider establishing mea-
sures and systems to facilitate the reporting by
public officials to make declarations to appropri-
ate authorities regarding their outside activities,
employment, investments, assets and substan-
tial gifts or benefits from which a conflict of in-
terest may result with respect to their functions
as public officials
 Each state-party shall consider taking disci-
plinary or other measures against public officials
who violate the codes established in accordance
with this article.
For the purposes of implementing the provisions
of this article each state-party shall take note of the
relevant initiatives of regional, inter-regional and
multi-lateral organisations such as the international
code of conduct for public officials contained in the
annex to General assembly resolution, 1996.
Civil Services (Conduct) Rules 1964
Indian Civil Services is governed by the Central Civil
Services (conduct) rules, 1964. These rules were
amended in 2014. This code requires the bureau-
crats to be politically neutral, honest, impartial
and maintain high ethical standards.
The amended rules state that every member of the
All India Services shall be courteous and respon-
sive to the public, particularly the weaker sec-
tions, and ensure accountability and transpar-
ency in the discharge of his duties.
The broad highlights of the rules are
 Every member of the service shall take decisions
solely based on merit and in public interest and
use public resources efficiently, effectively and
economically
 A bureaucrat shall not misuse his position to
take decisions that seek to derive financial or
material benefit for himself, his family or friends.
 Every member of the civil services shall make
choices, take decisions and make recommenda-

14
tions on merit alone.
 Civil servants shall not place themselves under
any financial or other obligations to any individ-
ual or organisation which may affect the perfor-
mance of his duties or discharge of his functions
 Civil Servants will now be required to declare
their private interests, if any, relating to their
public duties and take steps to resolve any con-
flicts in a way that protects public interest over
personal interest.
 Civil servants must maintain discipline in the
discharge of their duties and be liable to imple-
ment lawful orders duly communicated to them.
Civil servants are liable to maintain confidentiality
in performance of their duties as required by the
laws, particularly where the information or dis-
closure may prejudicially affect the security of the
state, strategic, scientific or economic interests of
the state, friendly relations with foreign countries
or lead to incitement of an offence or illegal or un-
lawful gains to any person or organisation.
Other amendments require the Civil servants to per-
form their duties with a high degree of professional-
ism, uphold supremacy of the constitution, uphold
sovereignty and integrity of India, the security pf
the state, public order, decency and morality; main-
tain integrity in public service, act with fairness and
impartiality and not discriminate against anyone
particularly the poor, the weak and the vulnerable.

08_Aptitude
Meaning of Aptitude
Aptitude is an innate inherent capacity to perform
a task or learn a skill. An aptitude is a component
of a competence to do a certain kind of work at
a certain level. Outstanding aptitude can be con-
sidered as “talent.” An aptitude may be physical or
mental. Aptitude is inborn potential to do certain
kinds of work whether developed or undevel-
oped.
The innate nature of aptitude is in contrast to
skills and achievement, which represent knowl-
edge or ability that is gained through learning.
Aptitude and intelligence quotient (IQ) are re-
lated.
Difference between Skill, Ability and Ap-
titude
Difference between skill and aptitude is that
skill is capacity to do something well; Skills are
usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abil-
ities, which are often thought of as innate while
aptitude is natural ability to acquire knowledge
or skill.
Utility of Aptitude
Aptitude is an innate potential that helps in creating
• Conceptualization and creativity
• Leadership and adaptability
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Technical and inter-personal skills
• Coordination and collaboration
• Brainstorming and trouble shooting
Aptitude Desirable in a Civil Servant
Some of the desired aptitudes in public services in-
clude
• Excellent organisation and negotiating skills
• Creativity and flexible thinking
• Leadership skills
• Decision-making ability
• Ability to lead a team or work in a team
• The ability to breakdown a complex problem
at hand
• Good communication skills to bridge com-
munication gaps
• Time-management skills and ability to meet
deadlines
• The ability to organise and prioritise work-
load
• Logical and rational approach towards ad-
ministrative problems
• Scientific temperament
• Basic awareness about technology, economy
and geography
• High level of professionalism
• Art of persuasion and ability to negotiate un-
der tough circumstances without sacrificing
public interest
Good aptitude and positive attitude makes the bu-
reaucracy efficient, effective and responsive to the
needs of the people.

Ethics articles series by Tirthankar Sir

Ethics articles series by Tirthankar Sir

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Ethics articles series by Tirthankar Sir