The term “crisis of conscience” encapsulates the internal conflict individuals experience when their deeply held moral or ethical beliefs clash with external pressures or societal norms. This internal struggle can arise in response to personal decisions, political dilemmas, or societal issues, where individuals grapple with the tension between their principles and the expectations of the world around them. In the public domain, this crisis often manifests itself through visible expressions of dissent, activism, or conscientious objection. Individuals may take a stand against perceived injustices, challenge prevailing ideologies, or resist conformity to uphold their ethical convictions. This conflict can be witnessed in various arenas, such as protests, advocacy movements, or acts of civil disobedience, where people confront the moral quandaries embedded in societal structures. The manifestation of a crisis of conscience in the public sphere underscores the significance of individual ethical considerations in shaping collective values and driving social change.
Tag: Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance.
Decoding the Question:
- In the Introduction, define “crisis of conscience”.
- In Body, explain how it manifests itself in the public domain.
- Conclude, by mentioning a relevant quote.
Answer:
“There is a higher court than courts of justice and that is the court of conscience. It supersedes all other courts”. — Mahatma Gandhi
Conscience is a person’s moral sense of right and wrong, viewed as a guide to one’s behavior. It is often referred to as the inner voice of reason. This inner voice may or may not involve elaborate reasoning but it does concern with judging a situation as good or bad i.e. a moral choice is involved. Conscience can also be suppressed willingly. A crisis of conscience can be simply defined as a situation wherein people will have to choose between their inner morals and their duty or responsibility. It is an ethical dilemma that is especially prevalent among honest and upright public servants.
Crisis of Conscience in Public Life:
Dilemmas: It is a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives. Public officials face a crisis of conscience in the form of ethical dilemmas where they have to choose between two competing alternatives, which are valid in their sphere. It becomes interesting to see whether an official chooses his inner conscience or his duty.
- Example: An IAS officer posted as SDM in a district has been ordered by the government to forcefully evict squatters on government land. The official finds that the occupants are poor people who have small infants to take care of. In such cases the official needs to decide between his/her conscience of giving them time to vacate or go by strict rulebook order and perform his duty.
Public Activism: It is the use of direct action, such as a demonstration or strike, in opposition to or support of a cause. A public servant is forced to resort to public activism when he/she is unable to do what his conscience expects. In this case, he can take a path of political activism or social activism.
- Example: An officer is trying hard to sanction a drinking water project for a residential area with a poor population but there is ignorance on the part of concerned officials. He/she is forced to file a petition with the court to implement the project.
Whistle Blowing: It is the disclosure by a person, generally an employee, to the public or those in authority, of mismanagement, corruption, and illegality. ‘Crisis of conscience’ and its effect on individuals is visible in the form of ‘whistleblowing’, where an individual throws light over irregularities occurring inside the organization out into the public domain.
- Example: A public official in the revenue department observes that some colleagues have conspired to illegally sell government land that has been allocated to an orphanage. He has also been offered a huge amount of money to stay quiet. Here, a ‘Crisis of conscience’ will force the official to bring this information into the public domain, even if it is anonymously.
How does it manifest in the public domain?
- It manifests in the decision-making process by civil servants where the decision can impact a huge number of people. The problem arises when they are pressured under some ministerial influence to make immoral decisions or implement unethical policies.
- It manifests in the tussle between ethics and the law. For example, restricting public movement in Kashmir to uphold law and order raised the situation of crisis of conscience. Similarly, despite having legal status as a third gender, transgenders continue to face oppression, marginalization, and lack of employment opportunities which forces them to resort to beggary, and this failure to ascertain to them a life of dignity is a manifestation of the crisis of conscience in the public domain.
The quote from the Baha’i (the world’s newest independent global belief system, which teaches the oneness of God, the unity of humanity, and the essential harmony of religion) teachings gives us three clear, specific guidelines for dealing with any crisis of conscience which are: Equity and Justice; Mercy and kindness; and Treat compassionately all humankind.
It is common to come across such crises of conscience in the public domain where lives and decisions overlap and come face to face almost every time. The key to overcoming such a crisis of conscience for a public servant is through keeping all dimensions in mind, freeing himself from desires or pressures, and staying calm & true to the public service ethical code and legal framework.
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