Western Philosophy, Indian Thinkers, Reformers & Religion — Practice

Question 1

What is the central claim of Descartes' philosophy?

Accepted Answer

Descartes doubted everything and found certainty in the fact of thinking: cogito, ergo sum, I think, therefore I am. He held that reason is the main source of knowledge and that mind and body are distinct.

Question 2

List the seven elements of the state in Kautilya's saptanga theory.

Accepted Answer

King, minister, territory, fort, treasury, army and ally.

Question 3

When was the word secular added to the Preamble?

Accepted Answer

By the 42nd Amendment in 1976. Articles 25 to 28 protect freedom of religion.

Question 4

Distinguish the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. (~100 words)

Accepted Answer

Plato held that the changing world of senses copies eternal Forms, with the Form of the Good highest, and that justice is each part of the soul and state doing its own work, so philosophers should rule. Aristotle rejected separate Forms and located form within things. In ethics, he taught that virtue is a mean between excess and deficiency, aimed at flourishing (eudaimonia), and he developed logic and the syllogism. Plato is idealist and top-down, and Aristotle is more empirical and practical.

Question 5

Explain Kant's categorical imperative and its relevance for public administration. (~100 words)

Accepted Answer

Kant held that a moral action is done from duty and not for its consequences. His categorical imperative says to act only on a rule that you could will to become a universal law, and to treat humanity, in yourself and others, never merely as a means. For an administrator it means that rules apply equally, and that a citizen is never a mere target count. It supports impartiality, honesty and respect for dignity, though rigid duty may need balancing against consequences in hard cases.

Question 6

Describe Guru Ghasidas's teaching.

Accepted Answer

Born in 1756 in Chhattisgarh, he taught devotion to one formless Satnam, rejected caste and idol worship, and gave marginalised communities a simple ethic of truth, non-violence and equality. Giraudpuri and the Jaitkham pillar are its symbols.

Question 7

Discuss Indian secularism and how it differs from the Western model. (~175 words)

Accepted Answer

Indian secularism means that the state has no official religion and treats all faiths with equal respect. The Constitution protects freedom of conscience and the right to practise and propagate religion in Articles 25 to 28, and the word secular was added to the Preamble by the 42nd Amendment in 1976. The Supreme Court in S. R. Bommai in 1994 held it to be part of the basic structure. Unlike the strict Western model of separation, the Indian state may intervene to reform religious practices, as in temple entry and social reform laws, and it supports minority institutions. This approach reflects a society of many faiths and a long tradition of tolerance, from Ashoka's edicts to Gandhi's sarva dharma sama bhava. Its challenges are communal tension and questions over uniform civil law, where equal respect must be balanced with equal rights.

Question 8

Compare the social philosophies of Gandhi and Ambedkar. (~175 words)

Accepted Answer

Gandhi and Ambedkar both opposed untouchability but differed in method and vision. Gandhi based politics on truth and non-violence, sought to reform Hindu society from within, defended the ideal of varna in modified form, and proposed trusteeship and sarvodaya for economic justice. Ambedkar argued that caste itself must be annihilated, and that political power and legal safeguards were essential, so he sought separate electorates, as in the Poona Pact debate, and later drafted a constitution with fundamental rights and reservation. He drew liberty, equality and fraternity from the Buddha's teaching and embraced Buddhism in 1956. Gandhi trusted moral persuasion, while Ambedkar trusted institutions and rights. Both shaped India: Gandhi's ethic of means and Ambedkar's constitutional morality remain the two pillars of social justice in public administration.

Practice — Western Philosophy, Indian Thinkers, Reformers & Religion

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