(For 3rd Year, B.

Tech Students)

UNIT-1 Personal Ethics and Professional Ethics

Personal and Professional ethics are two aspects of the same realm: namely, part of
being human and functioning in the world. Thus, personal ethics is more general, and is simply
“practicing becoming an excellent human being” with respect to people and situations in
everyday life (our family, our friends, our community). Professional ethics is more specific, and
is “practicing becoming an excellent human being” with respect to Profession, people and
situations in work life (co-workers, customers, suppliers, the company).

Personal ethical values are: Honesty, Patience, Courage, Positive attitude, Character,
Keep your word, Keep your time etc. and Professional ethical values are: Responsibility,
Commitment, Decisions based on ethics, Loyalty, Transparency, Sincerity, Keeping word,
Following professional conscience etc.

Ethics is the foremost objective of human existence: The basis of doing anything else in this
life’s rat race for a living, should be by keeping Ethical standards at the forefront and as a
guiding principle for a happy and contended living.

Ethics, according to Socrates, is the practice of becoming excellent at being human.

A person who knows the difference between right and wrong and chooses the right is moral.
A person whose morality is reflected in his willingness to do the right thing – even if it is hard
or dangerous or is unpopular – is ethical. Ethics are moral values in action.

Now let us discuss about personal ethics pertaining to civic sense and civic virtues and
the behaviour of good citizen and the importance of moral civic education in understanding
individual and social responsibilities for the overall goodness of the society.

(a) Personal ethics

All ancient civilizations had taken upon themselves the responsibility of maintaining
and propagating moral teachings through storytelling. Be it the Holy books like Quran,
Ramayana, Bible, all were a major source of inculcating in people a deep sense of moral
values and spread the message of kindness, compassion, generosity, non-violence, self-
sacrifice, charity, etc. and exemplified the dos and don’ts of life. Even today, moral lessons
from them are adopted by millions as a reference for day-to-day living.

Presently a whole generation is in the danger of becoming trapped within a false value
system chasing a ‘materialistic world.’ Becoming rich fast and amassing wealth seem to be at
the ‘core’ of all things. In the pursuit of ‘material success’, ethics and values have been
relegated to the list of forgotten things. Lust has overcome love; selfishness has superseded
generosity, apathy for sympathy, negative and destructive thought for positive constructive
thought.

Social responsibility comes from a ‘sense of belonging’ which creates pride and a
sense of ownership. As teachers we have to address this problem in a pro-active way and
need to build a sense of accountability and pride in our surroundings and personal behaviour.
We must inculcate social values among the younger generation until it becomes second nature
to them if we want our children to have a better tomorrow.

Hence, in this journey of life of ours from birth to death, there are few objectives and
responsibility we all must achieve and abide by. The objectives of our life are four-fold, namely,

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living a life of Ethics, gaining wealth in the form of education, health & wealth, have desire to
achieve and fourth to attain salvation or self-realisation. The responsibility we have towards
ourselves and humanity are two-fold:

1. Individual responsibility.
2. Social responsibility.
Individual responsibilities are those which are more oriented towards one’s self and towards
those closely associated with us. Up to the age of 21 you live with only your individual
responsibilities. There one has to have both individual and social responsibilities.
Social responsibilities are those which one needs to follow for a peaceful and meaningful
co-existence in a group, society, region, institution, country, etc.
The following explains various types of responsibilities one needs to have at various stages
and age groups.
Individual responsibilities
As a Child: Up to 12 years - Growth & Development -Eat, Play, Grow, Sleep, Develop
faculties, self-cleanliness, Family living
As Youth: 13 years to 20 years- Growth & Development-2 - Play, Grow, develop faculties, self-
cleanliness, Education (Value & Professional), Sports, Personality, Build & understand
Relationships, Prepare for greater role in Society.
Social and Individual responsibilities
As Adult: 21 years to 39 years and 40 to 65 - Set up family, Progeny, community living,
Professional life, Social responsibility, Nation-building, Global-responsibility
At Old Age: 65 years plus - Self-actualization, Self-realization, Spirituality, Salvation etc.
The present topic can be dealt under six sub divisions as described below

1.What is civic sense and its importance

2. What are civic virtues and their significance
3. Respect for self and others
4. Concluding remarks

1.What is civic sense and its importance

Most of us are born with five senses, exceptionally few with a sixth sense but no one
is born with Civic Sense. Though a child has the ability to speak but words and languages are
taught by the adults. Similarly, civic sense too has to be taught and inculcated in children.

The term civic sense is composed of two words. “Civic” and “Sense”. Civic means city
or town, and the word sense means awareness about something; so, we can say:
Understanding of the structure, formation and ingredients of a society along with the
responsibility of a citizen is known as civic sense.

In other words, civic sense is nothing but social ethics or the unspoken social norms
which helps to run the society. It is not just about keeping the roads, streets and public property
clean but also has to do with abiding with law, respecting others point of view, observing traffic
rules, preserving resources, showing consideration to the elderly, women, children and
disabled people, driving in one’s lane without honking, maintaining decorum in public places

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etc. Vandalism, intolerance, racism, road rage, etc. are all examples of lack of civic sense.
The current state of public places, for example, is disheartening. There are spit marks, urine,
vulgar graffiti, random garbage and overflowing sewers at every nook and corner. Roads are
not dirty because nobody cleaned them, but they are strewn with garbage because we threw
the muck in the first place. As human beings such dirt and grime are not acceptable to us, but
it still exists around us because we accuse everybody for it and want someone to remove it.
Dengue – a disease which has proved fatal for many and has spread across the country – is
caused by the absence of hygiene.

No one is to be blamed but ourselves for this condition. At home or in work places, we
put the waste in the bin and teach our children to do so but overlook it when the child throws
it on the road. We should realize that teaching civic sense is as important as warning him
against fire. The latter harms him directly whereas lack of knowledge of civic sense can or has
proved catastrophic for society.

The situation was not always so bad; we were never as uncivil as we are today. Civility
is conspicuous by its absence. Why this deterioration in civic sense? Self-containment could
be the plausible reason. We do not bother about the needs of others. This attitude is harmful
for society in the long run.

Thus, civic Sense is all about having consideration for a fellow human being. It means
being polite, showing consideration to the elderly, women, children and disabled people,
driving in one’s lane without honking, throwing one’s garbage in dustbins, and smoking only
at designated places. The list can go on.

2. What are civic virtues and their significance

The term civic virtue is composed of two words. Civic comes from the Latin word
“civitas” which means “civilized” or living in a city. The second word virtue comes from the
Latin word “Virtus” which means being “moral” or “good”. Thus “civic virtue” is the behaviour
of good citizens.

In other words, morality or standard of righteous behaviour in society is called civic

virtue i.e.., when you work to help others and promote the common welfare, you are showing
civic virtue. Civic virtues can be divided into four categories: 1. Civic knowledge 2. Self-
restraint 3. Self-assertion 4. Self-reliance.

Civic skills are the abilities necessary to participate as active and responsible citizens
in a democracy. Self-restraint is the restraint imposed by oneself on one's own actions; self-
control. Self-assertion is asserting oneself or one's own rights, claims, or opinions. Self-
reliance is the ability to do things and make decisions by yourself, without needing other
people to help you.

Examples of civic virtue are integrity, honesty, fairness, voting, acceptance, open-
mindedness, selflessness, empathy, courage, obeying rules and laws, responsibility etc.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” -
John F. Kennedy

Civic virtue helps people understand their ties to the community and their
responsibilities within it. ... Civic virtue is the moral underpinning of how a citizen relates to

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society. Without an understanding of civic virtue, citizens are less likely to look beyond their
own families, friends, and economic interests.

Those who practice civic virtue add to the health and strength of the society they live
in. Harvard Professor Robert Putnam classified three forms of civic virtue; active participation
in public life, trustworthiness, and reciprocity (mutual exchange) that is acquired through social
connectedness (all one piece). By engaging in these behaviours’ individuals benefit their
community and their nation as a whole and play an important role in maintaining a civilized
and free society. The great philosopher Aristotle even suggested that through performing civic
duties one can reach a greater level of personal happiness and fulfilment.

3. Respect for self and others

Good manners are extremely important in life, in school and at the workplace. Without
manners people in this world would be unable to communicate with anyone. Manners should
be instilled in a child at an early age so that when he grows up, he is natural and not
problematic.

Unfortunately, we are lacking in our collective moral behaviour as we do not care for
anyone in society. We have become too lazy to show our sympathies and respect which we
ought to do. We should be proud of our cultural, religious, social, educational and even more
our nation’s civilisation. But irrespective of all these factors, we are going backward in our
mannerisms and behaviourism. We are portraying bad images for our religious and civilised
sense in the world.

Having a highly developed civilisation and culture like us, but we are deprived of our
ethical approach. We lack civil sense, and indulge in separatism, racism, vandalism and road
rage.

We believe that since we pay taxes, we have the right to throw garbage, spit, urinate
on roads and it is the government’s duty to clean it! During rains, our roads clog up disrupting
everyday life, but still we blame the government for not cleaning the drains, though it is we
who throw garbage on roads and into drains, which get clogged.

Our people score a big zero when it comes to civic sense. They are so irresponsible
that they do not bother about health and hygiene. Similarly, our careless and chaotic driving
is taking its toll every day, yet we continue to buy driving licences, and put ourselves, our
family and our fellow countrymen at grave risk.

This shows we are much behind and we need to have civic sense.

Being civilised is much more than just living in cities, having computers at home or cell
phones in our pockets. To be civilised is, above all, to know how-to live-in peace with our
neighbours and peers.

Well-mannered sense demands that one must have a feel for others. One must not be
a callous person. One should live without disturbing others whether it is home, school, office,
theatre or any other place. No one is born civilised. It’s a struggle and a sense that makes one
more civilised and fuller of good etiquettes. We ought to learn to be a good citizen.

Individual and social responsibilities are most important for community living. With
world becoming smaller and smaller with the fast-growing Information technology, these
accountabilities become much more relevant and important.

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 Essentially, moral-civic education should impart (the value of altruism that will
inherently motivate passion for community service and love of humanity. Moral-civic education
as a developmental education will help the youngsters to be more devoted to embrace ethic
of community service, empathy for the suffering of others, develop endearing sense of
responsibility, solidarity and imbibed inclination to abhor violence, hooliganism, terrorism and
other anti-social activities. Accordingly, it prepares the recipients to live for the "Golden Rule"
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you". To the larger extent these virtues
and values are acquired would they determine the depth of interest in nation building and the
level of sustainable national development that would be rigorously pursued.

4. Concluding Remarks

India has really diverse people and the need of the hour is general civic sense and
civic virtues. Separatism, vandalism, intolerance, racism, road rage etc., are all examples of
lack of civic sense. People are becoming less and less tolerant of each other, of other cultures,
backgrounds etc. Development and understanding of civic sense help to run the society
in a healthier way as it teaches us respect for a fellow human being. Civic virtue is the
behaviour of good citizens and it helps understand their ties to the community and their
responsibilities within it.

Having good understanding of civic sense and civic virtues would keep people happy
because they would be satisfying their societal and moral needs such as brotherhood,
freedom, equality, social justice, unity in diversity, peace, non-violence, law & order,
democracy and equal rights. The civic sense and virtues also help to mould the people as
good citizens with qualities such as responsibility, honesty, generosity, respect, cooperation,
polite, patriotism, ownership and hard work.

Hence, it was felt that instead of punishing sinners, sin could be prevented by raising
virtuous children, this being the responsibility of parents, teachers and authors. Parental and
academic authority too was included in civic virtue, but it changed dramatically during the
enlightenment era when parental authority began to wane. Freedom became popular. Laws
had to be obeyed for the sake of conscience, rather than fear of the ruler’s wrath. Then came
the Conservatives who emphasized family values and obedience to the elders and the state.
Civic virtues focused on individual behaviour and responsibility therein.

I recall the oath we took as Guides in school which read as –

On my honour, I will do my best, To do my duty to God and my country, To help other
people at all times; and to obey the Guides Law.

Words from teachers and their encouragement to read books with such content could
be a strong foundation from where each one of us could start building national culture of civic
sense and sensibility in the future citizens of the country. Social norms should not just be
followed but should become a way of life.

A few years ago, when Tsunami hit Japan and there was complete power failure in
Japan, the world was shocked by the tragedy but also marvelled at the conduct of the people
affected. When the city was plunged in darkness, people left the shops, leaving the
merchandize on the counters. No one took advantage of the darkness. There was no looting
or ransacking of stores. No wonder Tokyo is among the most affluent, progressive, safe and
orderly cities in the world.

Thus, civic sense does not come from just enforcement but from a "sense of belonging"
which creates pride and a sense of ownership. It is our duty to make every citizen accountable.
Law cannot be enforced on many things. As a society we have to address this problem in pro-
active way and need to build that sense of accountability. A well planned and coherent

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education system with effective training strategies, and concentrated efforts we will be able to
instil/impart values among our younger generation until it becomes second nature in our
children. Value formation as a determinant of behaviour is an important phenomenon that
cannot be ignored or overlooked.

Finally, it can be concluded that, moral-civic education is bedrock for nation building
and national development. It helps to inculcate enduring values and virtues that mould good
personality and good character. Lack of moral character in the conscience of any nation could
result to social malaise, economic sabotage, political recklessness and moral impunity against
civic responsibility and national development. Therefore moral-civic education should
inculcate values that will destroy in the psyche of the recipients the carcinogenic syndromes
of bribery and corruption, egoism, nepotism, ethnic hostility: terrorism, undue process,
cronyism, enthronement of mediocrity, vandalism, kidnapping for ransom, ethnic militancy and
other ills that subvert the right of others, justice and damage of public property.

The younger generation should be shaped to develop and have civic passion and
moral-civic principles that will govern their private lives as individual persons and
simultaneously guide their public life. Essentially, moral-civic education should impart the
value of altruism that will inherently motivate passion for community service.

Moral-civic education as a developmental education will help the youngsters to be

more devoted to embrace the ethic of community service, empathy for the suffering of others,
develop endearing sense of responsibility, solidarity, patriotism and imbibed inclination to
abhor violence, hooliganism, terrorism and other anti-social activities. Accordingly, it prepares
the recipients to live far the "Golden Rule" - "Do to others whatever you would have
them do to you".

To the larger extent, these virtues and values that are acquired, will determine the
depth of their interest in nation building and the level of passion for national development.

Moral-Ethics Virtues and Moral Education should Promote:

 Abiding by Law
 Clean surroundings
 Clean environment
 Upliftment of economically backwards
 Social welfare activities
 Respect towards fellow citizens
 Maintaining equality
 Corruption free Society

To sum up, briefly, civic sense means social ethics i.e., having consideration for a
fellow human being. Civic virtue as much entails doing one’s duty as it is letting others fulfil
theirs. A free society empowers its citizens. And good citizens, in turn, must exercise humility.
When these mechanisms are at work and power is both freely given and wilfully relinquished;
then a strong and effective nation will flourish. Hence, imbibing and inculcating civic sense
and civic virtues and respect for self and others is of prime concern and these will help
everybody to be a good citizen.

Dr.C.R.M.Rao
Former Director
GSI Training Institute
mail id: crm.gsi@gmail.com