QUESTION 5(a)
GS4
10 marks
Is conscience a more reliable guide when compared to laws, rules, and regulations in the context of ethical decision-making. Discuss
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Discuss whether conscience is a more reliable guide than laws and rules for ethical decisions, and when each should prevail.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Case for conscience: laws can be unjust or silent; conscience fills gaps (Gandhi, civil disobedience)≈30 words
- 2Limits of conscience: subjective, can be biased or conditioned; no uniformity in public office≈30 words
- 3Case for laws: predictable, democratic, accountable≈30 words
- 4Balance: officers follow law; use conscience within discretion and to refuse clearly illegal or immoral orders≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Define bothStrengths and limits of eachBalanced view for civil servantsConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Choosing conscience entirely, which is unworkable for a public servant
- No example of a situation where they conflict
Draw this
- Venn diagram: law ∩ conscience = ideal zone
Value addition
- ThinkerGandhi: 'In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place.'.M.K. Gandhi
- ExampleNuremberg trials rejected 'following orders' as a defence for crimes against humanity.International Military Tribunal, 1945–46
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- G Sanjana · AIR 55 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Vidushi Singh · AIR 13 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 7 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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