GS4 · 10 marks · 150 words

"Man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department." Gandhi. Do you think an individual's personal ethics impacts professional life or they both can be compartmentalized? Explain your position with relevant examples.

Answered by 10 toppers · CSE 2021–2025

Ethics in Private and Public LifeIndian ThinkersIntegrityHuman ValuesWorld Thinkers

Syllabus: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics - in private and public relationships. Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values.

How toppers approached it

From 9 of the 10 answers · about 150 words · 44% drew a diagram.

Opening

  • No separate opening89%
  • A restatement11%

Body

  • Points and prose67%
  • Points33%

Close

  • A summary44%
  • A way forward33%
  • No separate close22%

The toppers’ answers

RuhaniAIR 5 · CSE 2023 · 185 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening · a restatement

In the above statement, Gandhiji highlights the impossibility of being ethically different in one's personal as well as professional life.

Body · points

Impact of Personal Ethics on Professional Life

  • Personal life of integrity, honesty spills over in professional life in the form of transparency in work. Eg:- IAS Ashok Khemka.
  • Personal values of ethics and empathy, compassion guide a person to do service in the name of God. Eg:- IAS Armstrong Pame.
  • A calm person will be calm in office too. Eg:- Ratan Tata.
  • An emotionally intelligent person will always control his as well as others' emotions. Eg:- IPS Aakash Kulhari controlled riots.

PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL ETHICS CAN BE COMPARTMENTALISED :-

• Tolerance = accepting others' values and beliefs. Eg: A civil servant may be vegetarian but may allow beef shop to be opened in his district.

• Non-partisanship :- Eg: A civil servant may personally support a political party, yet he has to perfoom his duties with political neutrality.

Close · a way forward

However, although personal and professional ethics can differ, however, civil servants must strive to achieve integrity and consistency between personal and professional ethics.

More on Ethics in Private and Public Life

Whether the same standard binds a person in private and in office, and what changes when it does not.

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