Context: A prominent farmer leader is on an indefinite hunger strike demanding legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price, while following Gandhian principles of Non-violence. The government faces criticism from courts for not providing medical care, while farmers threaten mass mobilisation if force is used.
Relevance of the Topic: Mains: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of ethics in human actions.
Ethical Analysis of the Situation
- Deontological Ethics (Kant): "Act only according to rules you could as universal law."
- Government's categorical duty to protect life is absolute
- Farmer's right to protest cannot override duty to preserve life
- Medical care is a moral imperative regardless of circumstances.
- Utilitarian Ethics (Bentham): "Greatest good for greatest number"
- Calculate total welfare impact on farmers, consumers, economy
- Consider long-term effects on agricultural sustainability
- Balance individual sacrifice against collective benefit.
- Virtue Ethics (Aristotle): "Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit"
- Courage shown by protest leader
- Government's prudence in handling situation
- Finding meaning between force and inaction (Golden Mean Principle).
- Gandhian Philosophy: "Non-violence is the greatest force at Mankind's disposal". In a gentle way you can change the world - Gandhiji
- Satyagraha as moral force
- Self-suffering to highlight injustice
- Non-violent resistance against perceived wrong.
- Social Contract Theory (Rousseau, Locke): "Government derives legitimacy from people's consent"
- State's obligation to protect citizens
- Citizens' right to protest unjust policies
- Balance between individual and collective rights.
- Care Ethics (Nel Noddings): "Moral Action stems from Compassion"
- Empathy for farmer's situation
- Responsibility for protestor's wellbeing
- Community relationships and interdependence.
- Buddhist Ethics: "Avoid extremes, follow Middle Path"
- Reduce suffering of all parties
- Seek compromise and harmony
- Compassion for all stakeholders.
- Contemporary Rights Theory (Rawls): "Justice as Fairness"
- Fair distribution of benefits and burdens
- Protection of basic liberties (Liberty principle)
- Special consideration for disadvantaged groups (Difference principle)
Resolution Framework with Philosophical Underpinnings
1. Immediate Actions:
- Medical Care Approach: Hippocratic Tradition
- "First, do no harm" principle guides medical intervention
- Balance autonomy with protection of life - Respects individual choice while ensuring survival
- Respect dignity while ensuring care - Maintains human rights during medical intervention
- Dialogue Framework (Habermas):
- Communicative action theory for conflict resolution
- Create conditions for authentic discourse
- Enable rational consensus-building
- Peace Maintenance (Perpetual Peace - Kant):
- Establish provisional arrangements
- Create conditions for lasting resolution
- Maintain civil order without force
2. Medium-term Solutions:
- Policy Development (Amartya Sen):
- Capability approach to agricultural policy
- Development as freedom concept
- Participatory policy-making
- Stakeholder Engagement (Freeman):
- Multiple stakeholder consideration
- Balanced interest representation
- Ethical business approach
3. Long-term Structural Changes:
- Social Justice (Rawls):
- Difference principle in agricultural policy
- Fair equality of opportunity
- Just savings principle
- Sustainable Development (Hans Jonas):
- Imperative of responsibility
- Future generations consideration
- Environmental sustainability
4. Implementation Framework:
- Administrative Ethics (Max Weber):
- Bureaucratic responsibility
- Rational-legal authority
- Professional duty
- Democratic Theory (Dahl):
- Inclusive participation
- Effective opposition
- Institutional accountability
5. Monitoring Mechanisms:
- Social Accountability (Rousseau):
- General will consideration
- Public oversight
- Transparent governance
- Ethics of Care (Gilligan):
- Relationship maintenance
- Community healing
- Trust rebuilding.
Overall the action must integrate philosophical wisdom with practical governance needs, ensuring both theoretical soundness and implementational feasibility.