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Topic: Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
7. Morality would be very shallow and almost meaningless, if the sole moral imperatives were to seek happiness and avoid the miseries for ourselves. Critically Analyse. (150 words)
Difficulty level: Tough
Reference: A Practical Approach to Ethics Integrity and Aptitude D.K Balaji.
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Philosophical Mondays’ in Mission-2022 Secure.
Key Demand of the question:
To form a critique of hedonism. (You must remember that in the exam, UPSC may give a short description of the theory rather than name of the theory itself. You should be able to identify it to understand the core demand of the question)
Directive word:
Critically analyse – When asked to analyse, you have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts and present them as a whole in a summary. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, one needs to look at the good and bad of the topic and give a fair judgment.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Begin by further elaborating on the theory of hedonism and its idea behind a morally justified action.
Body:
Argue as to how, though according to the theory seeking happiness and avoid the miseries may be morally justified but there may not be any point to that sort of morality which promotes self-interest.
With examples, substantiate on the point that what maybe be good or right for an individual may not be good for the society/community/country. Hence, this sort of morality is meaningless.
Conclusion:
Mention the importance of that we need to think beyond individual happiness especially in the times that we are living in.
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