Diksha RaiAIR 40 · CSE 2025 · 202 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening
John Locke argued for the significance of both laws and conscience in inculcating morality among people.
While laws are external mechanisms to ensure moral and ethical actions, conscience acts as the inner court (Mahatma Gandhi) which guides morality of an individual.
| Laws | Conscience |
|---|---|
| → External mechanism | → Internal compass |
| eg: Domestic Violence Act prohibits violence against women. | eg: Conscience prohibits me from harming others |
| → Breach leads to punishment through judicial institutions | → Breach of voice of conscience leads to crisis of conscience & moral dissonance. |
Body · points and prose
→ Codified instructions which serve as guide for behaviour and actions in civic life. | → Leads to morally conscientious life and a ready guide in case of ethical dilemmas.
Close · a summary
Laws, although majorly aligns with prevailing ethics and morals in society, can sometimes be in conflict with them. Thus before SC judgement in Navtej Singh Johar case, while one's conscience was hurt due to injustice to homosexual couples, law criminalised homosexual relations.
Thus as John Locke emphasised, One is guided by not only external control of magistrate (law) but also the higher court of conscience in ethical decision making.