Ethics in Private and Public Life

We live in a time when almost everything can be bought and sold. Over the past few years, markets and market values have come to govern our lives as never before. Today the logic of buying and selling no longer applies to material good alone but increasingly governs the whole of life. However, there is a wide spread realization that markets have become detached from morals and we need to somehow reconnect them. The use of markets to allocate social goods has also been a cause of concern. In this context, answer the following: 20 (a) Is greed wholly a vice or a trait of character that has both positive and negative sides? Could you relate it to the utilitarian philosophy that emphasizes pursuit of self interest by individuals as the basis of economic well being? (b) Are there some things that money shouldn't buy? Illustrate with examples.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 4 toppers · CSE 2018–2019

Dimensions of EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government

What are the various sources through which humans can judge the correctness of their actions? In the context of public life discuss how these sources are important in offering a clear and practical guidance.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2016–2018

Sources of Ethical GuidanceEthics in Private and Public Life

Dr. A.K. Singh, a professor of medicine, is a prominent cardiologist. His personal financial investments include significant stock holdings in three publicly traded biotechnology firms. He is approached by one of these firms to be a lead investigator in a therapeutic trial of a novel agent for preventing tissue damage from myocardial infarction (MI). This will be a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial (neither patient nor physician will know whether the drug under investigation or a placebo is being used in a given patient). Dr. Singh is quite familiar with the preliminary animal and cell biology work in the area and believes that there is an excellent chance that this new drug will result in a significant improvement in survival and reduce damage to the heart muscle. He even thinks this novel agent may reduce the risk of heart failure and irregular beats. Dr. Singh's group is one of the few cardiology groups fully prepared to carry out this investigation, which is why he was contacted. He cares for a large number of patients with MI and believes that he could enroll numerous patients efficiently. The drug will only be available to his patients if his group participates in the trial. The company is offering Rs. 25 lakh for each patient enrolled. As a lead investigator, he will become much better known and will likely experience an increase in referrals if the trial succeeds. 1. Is Dr. Singh's participation in this study appropriate? Justify your position. 2. Does Dr. Singh have a conflict of interest? If so, what is the nature of the conflict? How could it be mitigated. 3. How would the nature of the conflict of interest be different had he not already owned stock, but instead had been offered stock as a form of compensation for conducting the study?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2016–2018

Conflict of InterestCorporate Governance

Socially and economically marginalized women are used to make a profit, often at the cost of their own health and reproductive autonomy, in the name of commercial surrogacy. Discuss the ethical issues associated with commercial surrogacy in India. Should commercial surrogacy be completely banned?

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 3 toppers · CSE 2016–2018

Dimensions of EthicsEthical Dilemmas in Government

Does civil service ethics differ from professional ethics or, on the other hand, from personal ethics? Discuss.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 2 toppers · CSE 2018

Ethics in Private and Public LifeCivil Service Values

You are an honest and responsible civil servant. One evening when you reached home, you found that your wife was upset with you. On inquiring, you found the following: a) She asked that whom you actually are making happy with your morals and values- government or society? Because neither of the two is supportive and appreciative of the way you work. b) She questioned how even your juniors are better well-off than you, and the way she feels marginalized in the lavish parties of his seniors, given the ordinary lifestyle they live in. c) She also complained that how your work culture and value-filled lifestyle has disturbed the peace & harmony of the family, especially the children who have to change schools due to frequent transfers. After a small quarrel with her, at night you were thinking about the matter and were in a dilemma about it. You, yourself were convinced by her complaints to an extent. In this situation, explain how will you convince your wife and even yourself for the right? Also, discuss how will you keep your conscience intact with your founding values?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 2 toppers · CSE 2018

Ethics in Private and Public LifeEthical Dilemmas in Government

We live in a time when almost everything can be bought and sold. Over the past few years, markets and market values have come to govern our lives as never before. Today the logic of buying and selling no longer applies to material good alone but increasingly governs the whole of life. However, there is a wide spread realization that markets have become detached from morals and we need to somehow reconnect them. The use of markets to allocate social goods has also been a cause of concern. In this context, answer the following: (a) Is greed wholly a vice or a trait of character that has both positive and negative sides? Could you relate it to the utilitarian philosophy that emphasizes pursuit of self interest by individuals as the basis of economic well being? (b) Are there some things that money shouldn't buy? Illustrate with examples.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 2 toppers · CSE 2018

Dimensions of EthicsEthical Theories

You decide to take the metro to avoid traffic as you have an urgent business meeting in your office and you already are running late. In metro you find a man teasing a young woman. Before you could think of anything, the woman out of frustration gets down on next stoppage with eve-teaser still being in the metro. What would you do in such a situation? Justify your action.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 2 toppers · CSE 2018

Crisis Decision MakingEmpathy and Compassion

Can an individual be ethical in his/her professional conduct, while not being ethical in his/her personal life? Discuss giving suitable examples.

10 marks · 150 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2018

Ethics in Private and Public LifeDimensions of Ethics

You are an undergraduate student in a leading Law University. You go with your college friend Surender to his village to attend his sister's marriage. Surender's parents are farmers and are financially very poor. They have somehow managed to send him to the university by selling their land. After interaction with the relatives attending the marriage, you find out that the bride is not of marriagable age, which makes it a case of child marraige. The family wants early marriage of the daughter to avoid huge demands of dowry in the future. You are well aware that child marriage is illegal in India. So, you discuss the issue with your friend who says that he is helpless and can't do anything. Your friend feels that his family is already doing too much for him and he cannot argue and change his parents' decision. In this situation, what are the possible actions you can take? Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of them.

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2018

Crisis Decision MakingRules versus Compassion

As the administrator in-charge of your area, you are witness to the widespread food wastage in lavish parties as well as in restaurants and eateries, on one hand and people starving due to inability to ensure one square-meal a day, on the other. Realizing that it is not the scarcity of resources, but the habit of people that is causing paucity in availability of food, you decide that certain measures are needed to be taken in order to deal with the issue of starvation at the grassroot level. Given the situation, answer the following questions: (a) Identify the ethical issues involved in this case. (b) What measures would you take to deal with wastage of food in your area? (c) What explains this co-existence of affluence and hunger in developing countries like India?

20 marks · 250 words · Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2018

Empathy and CompassionEthics in Private and Public Life