QUESTION 3(c)
GS4
10 marks
“In law, a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics, he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so.” – Immanuel Kant
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Explain Kant's distinction: law judges actions that harm others; ethics judges even the intention to do so.
Explain the quoteAnswer exactly what the question asks.
Demand-wise check
- 1Law: external, enforceable, judges acts and their effects≈30 words
- 2Ethics: internal, judges motives and will (Kant's good will, duty)≈30 words
- 3Example: a person who plans to cheat but fails is legally innocent but ethically guilty≈30 words
- 4Relevance: integrity of civil servants begins with intentions, not only rule compliance≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
MeaningLaw vs ethics comparisonExamplesRelevance to public lifeConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Only defining law and ethics without Kant's idea of intention
- No example
Draw this
- Table: law vs ethics on scope, focus, enforcement
Value addition
- ThinkerKant: 'Nothing can be conceived which can be called good without qualification, except a good will.'.Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785)
- ExampleMahatma Gandhi's 'purity of means' links ethical intention to action.M.K. Gandhi
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Divyanshu Nigam · Page 13 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Gamini Singla · Page 350 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Jagrati Awasthi · Page 13 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Vidushi Singh · AIR 13 · Page 5 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 7 minutes, then get it checked.