UPSC Mains 2018 · GS IV · Q6(a) · 10 marks · 150 words

What do each of the following quotations mean to you in the present context ? “The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject any thing, is not whether it has any evil in it; but whether it has more evil than good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost every thing, especially of governmental policy, is an inseparable compound of the two; so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded.” — Abraham Lincoln

हिन्दी में

वर्तमान संदर्भ में निम्नलिखित में से प्रत्येक उद्धरण का आपके विचार से क्या अभिप्राय है ? “किसी भी बात को स्वीकार करने या अस्वीकार करने का निर्धारण करने में सही नियम यह नहीं है कि उसमें कोई बुराई है या नहीं; बल्कि यह है कि उसमें अच्छाई से अधिक बुराई है । ऐसे बहुत कम विषय होते हैं जो पूरी तरह बुरे या अच्छे होते हैं । लगभग सभी विषय, विशेषकर सरकारी नीति से संबंधित, अच्छाई और बुराई दोनों के अविच्छेदनीय योग होते हैं; ताकि इन दोनों के बीच प्रधानता के बारे में हमारे सर्वोत्तम निर्णय की आवश्यकता हमेशा बनी रहती है ।” — अब्राहम लिंकन

Ethical TheoriesEthical Dilemmas in GovernmentWorld Thinkers

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “What does each of the following quotation mean to you? a) "When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion" - Abraham Lincoln.”

Madhav AgarwalAIR 16 · CSE 2024 · 149 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening

Abraham Lincoln in the above quote has simplified the idea of religion by relating our acts to our feelings.

Body · points and prose

Eg: Religion of doing good pursued Lincoln to abolish slavery via 13th Amendment.

Religion is often used as a guide for moral action. Eg: Do not lie, or do not kill anyone/harm others.

But sometimes such religious tenets can become confusing, self seeking and harm others. Eg: exclusion

of women/dalits from Temples.

Thus, we need to see good and bad through the lens of our inner conscience - that guides our behaviour.

(eg:) Feel good after serving as a volunteer for charity.

On the contrary, when we do bad our intuition guides us (eg:) Conscience of Ashoka guided to give up weapon post Kalinga war.

Close · a vision

Overall, we can achieve a better world when we take into considerations of not just our goodness but goodness of the whole world (Universal Humanism).

2 more toppers’ answers to this question, part by part, and how they all approached it: open the question.

Toppers’ answers to other close questions

Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2018, General Studies Paper IV, Q6(a). The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.