Mrunal Ethics (E1/P3) Human Values, Family,Society,Public vs.

Private

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- Mrunal - http://mrunal.org -

[Ethics] E1/P3: Human Values-Role of Family, Society, Educational

Institutes; Ethics in Public & Private relations
Posted ByMrunalOn 20/09/2015 @ 7:00 pm In Ethics | 60 Comments
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Values
Value vs. Belief
Classification of Values
Human Values
1. Role of Family
2. Role of Society
3. Role of Educational institutes
4. Role of Teachers
5. Role of education
6. Value education: desirable?
Private relations vs. Public Relations?
1. Separation of Public & Private life?
2. Family man = Responsible man?
3. Inconsistencies in Public and Private life?
4. State encroachment in Personal sphere?
5. Personal Religion vs public duty?
Case study: role of Cinema
Case Study: Homosexual Opposition leader
Descriptive Questions (200 words)

In the previous part (E1/P2), we looked at various theories of ethics. In this part, we look at the last
portion of syllabus topic#1 viz. Human values, role of family-society-edu.insti. and ethics in public and
private relations.

Values
Values help as Short hand or tools of the theory. E.g. in a case study, every time you need not
go back to xyz theory, IF youre able to justify it on the grounds of non-violence, truth, compassion.
So, theory => Values => Daily life we follow the Value and not theory.
Deontological Ethics=> Karma Theory=> Value of duty.
Deontological Ethics=> Gandhism => Value of Compassion for the Poor.
Thus, Values make life meaningful, help in self-realization, underline our attitude-behaviorjudgment.
Belief

Attitude

Value vs. Belief: Whats the difference?

If you believe in something, then youve that value. e.g. Democracy, tolerance
You believe in democracy => you vote, you goto mygov.in and give your suggestion to
the government. All this shows your attitude. So values are beneath the attitude
ground.
Western societies are becoming less tolerant.

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Recently a Muslim kid was arrested in USA because teacher mistook his clock as a
bomb. Such things less likely in India, for we are more tolerant. So, not doing such
mess, is reflection of our tolerance belief in our attitude.
Classification of Values
Individual
values
Social values

Self-Development, creativity, liberty, survival

Cooperation, Tolerance, Compassion, Empathy. These help you as a social being.
Non-vegetarianism, compassion towards animal
Harmonies living with your surroundings, Chipko-movement is example of
Social+Environment values..

Environment
Values
Organizational
Values
Constitutional
Values

Public service (in Government and NGO), profit (in private company), Truth
(Journalism)
Fundamental rights, duties and DPSP. Creating scientific temperament, holding the
honor of women and so on.

Human Values
Common to All humans. Love, truth, Compassion. Even Osama Bin Laden would love his children.
So, merely by being a human being, at minimum youll have these values.
Examples: Universal human values, fundamental rights
They remain static. Never change with time or region (unlike environmental values or privacywestern world person would be more focused on them).
We gain human values through two ways

Socialization

e.g. parents and teachers tell children not to lie or steal.

For this reason, Juveniles are given lesser punishment for their crime, because their
socialization process is still incomplete, he doesnt know what is right and what is
wrong.
In this socialization process, different agents have different role to play- family,
educational institute, society that well see in next part of the lecture.

Social
control

Even after inculcating values through socialization, there will be some deviants,
wholl lie or steal.
So, social control through reward and punishment mechanism, will inculcate the
values. e.g.
social osctricization: of person who is habitual liar or thief and
social appreciation / acknowledgement: of person doing charitable things.

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Role of Family
If parents informally talk bad things about a particular caste or religion, if they knowingly violate
traffic rules, child will imbibe the same.
If child raised in an authoritarian manner, hell show less concern for democratic values.
If a boy raised in an environment where girl child is treated as a second citizen, hell treat his wife
in similar fashion and find nothing wrong in it.
If parents are meticulous about cleanliness in both private and public property, child will follow the
same.
Type of
family

Value system acquired

Nuclear
family

Individualism, responsibility, introvert.

Modernism: More amenable to inculcating new values / changes because young
parents.

Joint
family

patriarchal values, respect for the authority but at the same time less respect for
women or that women should not wear jeans/t-shirt and so on
Attitude of sharing- among siblings, cousins.
Conservatism: old people in the joint families would oppose.

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Role of Society
Within society- neighbors, classmates peers, colleagues, media, movies, television
Conformity: What peers/colleagues are doing, person is forced to mimick the same.
If theyre smoking, hell smoke; if theyre living in nuclear families, he too will feel to separate
from his joint family and so on.
If theyre participating in decoration of residential complex for Ganesh-festival or Navratri, he too
will feel the moral obligation. Recall how Lokmanya Tilak used the Ganesh Utsav, to collect people
and inculcate spirit of nationalism and pride among them.
Social control: reward and punishment, we already learned.
Tolerance: if youre living in a building with people from variety of caste, religion and regional
background, you develop tolerance.

Role of Educational institutes

Teachers and curriculum have profound impact on a persons value system.
If child participates in sports: values of sportsmanship, team-spirit.
If college kid participate in college-festival to get stupid extra-curricular certificate for UPSC/CAThe is learning leadership, cooperation, event management.
Role of Teachers
He was the private tutor of Alexander the Great. He gave the doctrines of Moral and politics.
Aristotle When Alexander concurred empires, he never forced his culture/religion upon people in
fervent /fanatical manner unlike the other kings.
Gopal
He was the political guru of Gandhi and in many ways he shaped the ideology and outlook of
Krishna
Gandhi towards India and life.
Gokhle

Modern
day

If teacher is promoting his private coaching class during official class in the school, he
is indirectly imparting materialistic values in students that education is a commodity
that can be sold.
Corporal punishment: When same child goes to college, hed think it is right to do
ragging of juniors, when he becomes father, hed think physical punishment is right
way to discipline children; if he becomes a cop, hed think custodial torture is
justifiable to extract confession from criminal and so on.

Similarly, School environment also plays a role in the value system of a child e.g. child from Government
school, vs. that from a boarding/convent school.
Role of education
Values Taught

Syllabus / Textbook
World History:
Libert, galit, fraternit (liberty, equality, fraternity)
French revolution
World History:
Gandhis train to
Standing against injustice.
Pretoria
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New NCERT
Literature
Science

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Secularism and non-violence. Because according to its chapters no king ever

invaded / killed / plundered India and every king patronized all types of religions.
It helps us understand human nature and prevalent social values of a given era.
Curiosity: that in turn makes a person ask questions against orthodoxy and bad
practices in religion.

Content of the textbook plays important role in imparting value system

If a textbook has passage papa is coming from office while mummy is cooking food and munni is
helping mummy.
While it sounds innocent, but its putting gender-roles in the minds of children that men goto office
and women are supposed to stay at home and cook food only.

Value education: desirable?

Should Government impart values to children through school education?
North Korean Government uses textbooks to poison the brains of children against South Korea and
Western World.
Same way Pakistani textbooks pouring Anti-India venom.
Even within India, ruling party regimes ideology would be poured in the textbook. For example,
2008: In Kerala class 7 social science textbook contained a chapter with an imaginative interview
between a headmaster and parents seeking admission. The boy carries a Christian name; the father
is named Anwar Rashid and the mother Lakshmi Devi. The headmaster asks the father what
religion should he fill in for the child in the required column to which the reply is: Let him choose
his religion when he grows up.
Protests irrupted in Kerala, because people saw that chapter as a move by the Communist State
Government to promote atheism among children.
So, IF Governments are misusing textbooks to impart their ideologies, should we ban value
education in school textbooks? Ans. Nope, because then child will only learn facts but his holistic
education will remain unfinished.
Solution: Middle way i.e. Textbooks should only impart Constitutional values -democracy,
secularism and human values (truth, love, compassion). Other values should be avoided.
Event
Take them to old age
homes
museums, cultural
centres
tree plantation, street
cleaning
Yoga

Other ways to impart social values among childrenValues imparted

Compassion, altruism
Tolerance, secularism
Environmental protection
It internalizes your mind. Once your mind is focusing inward, youll have
more clarity of thought.

Private relations vs. Public Relations?

Whats the difference?
Private relations

Public relations

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Theyre Inherited with or without choice- example your

parents, cousins, relatives; love marriage vs. arranged
marriage.
Your private relations are confined to small number of
people.
Even with imperfections and problems theyre relatively
permanent.
You begin private relations to get intimacy, loyalty, love,
affection.
In private relations, you usually involve with people sharing
similarity with you in value system.
Your duties are voluntary, self-imposed and informal.
E.g. standing by your friends/loved ones in the good
and bad times; providing good facilities to your
children, raising them in responsible manner etc.
If you fail, still relationship may remain intact.
At the same time, theyre also defined by personnel
laws / religious laws e.g. bigamy, property rights,
maintenance of parents/wife/children.
Your actions are guided by internal control

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They too are inherited with or without

choice.
Large number of people.
Not the case. e.g. disgruntled employee
or customer may leave, without giving
explanation or giving you chance to
correct mistakes.
You begin public relations to get respect,
attention, power, authority and
materialistic benefits.
You will have to deal with people having
completely different temperament from
you.
Your duties externally imposed and
formally mentioned in code/laws.
E.g. All India civil service conduct
rules, prevention of corruption
Failure to oblige usually ends the
relationship/job/client.
External control e.g. must behave in
respectful manner in front of the boss /
client.

Separation of Public & Private life?

If a person becomes bankrupt because of his lavish private lifestyle (Hedonism), then he is
automatically ineligible from various constitutional / statutory public posts in India. Because if
such financially distressed person is holding a public office, he is more likely to accept bribes and
take decisions that will not lead to maximum benefit to maximum people. (Utilitarianism)
Thus, private life does have bearing on the public life of a person. We cant look at them two as
isolated compartments.
For the same reason, Judges have to rescue themselves from the cases involving their relatives or
friends.
President Clintons impeachment process was initiated because of his scandalous affair with
Monica Lewinsky.

Family man = Responsible man?

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American/Christian society considers happy married family life auspicious. Therefore, youll find
US Presidential candidates or State Governor candidates- always appearing in media with their
wives and daughters, holding hands, sharing hugs and kisses, running parallel social media
accounts. They do it to portray that Im a happy family man- Im a good husband and a good
father so, I can run the public office in a responsible manner, you should vote for me.
In India, scenario is different- tell me the name of Manmohan Singhs wife or Anandiben Patels
husband!? We are not concerned much with private life of a public leader.
Bad private life doesnt mean bad public life. There have been Kings, Prime Ministers and
Presidents with not good private life in their role as father, husbands, lovers and yet historians
term them to be good leaders in public life.
E.g. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India vs. M.K.Gandhi, the father of Harilal.

Inconsistencies in Public and Private life?

Kesab Chandra Sen opposed child marriage but married his own underage daughter to Maharaja of
Cooch Bihar. Consequently his followers abandoned him and founded Sadharan Brahmo Samaj
(1878)
Thus, If there is inconsistency in the public life and private life of a person, it leads to disastrous
outcomes.

State encroachment in Personal sphere?

It is held that the State should stay away from private life of an individual.
But it is the private life, from where most injustices begin such as domestic violence and
malnutrition of girls in a family.
An officer starts drinking in his home to cope up with stress. Although he doesnt come drunk in the
office, still in long term alcoholism would hurt his work-efficiency.
Field officers in revenue, police and forest department, are on duty for 24/7 basis. They cant give
sufficient time to wives and children, often leading to marital discord. The same stress from
personal life may reflect passively in their dealing with general public.
So, should the state begin monitoring the private life of its officers and ministers? Wont it violate
their right to privacy?

Personal Religion vs public duty?

Orthodox Christians consider contraceptive (birth control) drugs and abortion as sinful. So, what if
he becomes a chemist or doctor? Should he run away from his duties?
Muslims consider Alcohol as sinful. What if a Muslim IAS officer is transferred to liquor-excise
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department of the state government? Should he refuse to take charge in the new department?
Similar case for a devout Hindu IAS officer transferred to fisheries department?
These questions lead to UPSC syllabus topic #3: aptitude and foundation values of civil servicesthat well learn in subsequent lectures.

Case study: role of Cinema

In 1950s , following criticism was made against movies:
poor wage earners can find better use of the money. (CM of Madras)
Sex and murder depicted in movies, is corrupting Indias youth and encouraging to repeat the same
acts in real life. (Petition signed by 13,000 housewives).
Cinema responsible for high rate of failure among students. (Study by Calcutta University)
In this context, discuss your views about role of cinema as a social agent for value inculcation among the
children and the youth. Do you think, above views justify stricter control by Censor board over the
cinema?

Case Study: Homosexual Opposition leader

In 2008, the Malaysian authorities accused Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomizing an aide who
worked for his opposition party. In 2012, Malaysian High court acquitted him, although media and
critiques continued to cite some procedural lapses. Parallel to this, the Members of Malaysian parliament
have come up with a demand for his removal/impeachment. Whether to accept such motion or not, is
under the discretionary powers of Speaker. If youre the Speaker of Malaysian Lok Sabha (Dewan
Rakyat), would you accept such motion or not? Discuss the legal and ethical rationales behind your
decision.

Descriptive Questions (200 words)

According to Confucius, all human beings are fundamentally good in their nature, and if
uncorrupted by external circumstances, their actions will be morally correct. Discuss the role of
family, society and educational institutes in this context.
According to Dostoevsky, If God doesnt exist, everything is permissible. In this context, discuss
the role of religion in ensuring moral behavior in the society.
Discuss the merits and demerits of using Social osctricization as a tool for ensuring moral
behavior among people.
The way a person conducts their private life is an indication of how trustworthy they are in public
life. Do you agree? Justify your stand.

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First Pillar is Over.

This concludes Syllabus topic#1 Ethics and Human interface. Next time well see Attitude. Visit
Mrunal.org/Ethics for more study material on Ethics.
Article printed from Mrunal: http://mrunal.org
URL to article: http://mrunal.org/2015/09/e1p3-human-values-family-society-education-ethicspublic-private-relations.html
Copyright 2014 Mrunal. All rights reserved.

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