(Based on Aristotle, Confucius, Indian traditions—focus on "being" rather than "doing")
| Dimension | Strength | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Character-centric | Focuses on who we are (virtue) rather than what we do (action). Aims for eudaimonia – flourishing life. |
| Harmonious ethics | No sharp dichotomy between public/private morality. Consistent character ensures consistent actions. | |
| Culturally adaptable | Indian ethics (Gita, Buddhist 8-fold path, Jainism’s Aparigraha) reflect virtue-based moral thinking. | |
| Individual | Self-awareness | Encourages personal moral growth through habituation of good actions. |
| Integrity & trust | Builds internal moral compass—less dependence on external rules or outcomes. | |
| Psychological peace | Reduces moral dissonance by aligning thoughts, actions, and values. | |
| Society | Ethical citizens | Promotes civic virtues like empathy, courage, moderation—foundation of just societies. |
| Social harmony | Encourages role-based ethics: "Maryada, Dharma, Lokasangraha" (Gita: well-ordered society). | |
| Bureaucracy | Moral resilience | Helps bureaucrats hold ethical ground in gray zones (e.g., corruption pressure, political interference). |
| Long-term institution building | Cultivates values like prudence, justice, temperance, courage, essential for honest administration. | |
| People-centric service | Encourages compassion, humility, and ethical listening in public service delivery. |
| Dimension | Weakness | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Vague action-guidance | Doesn’t always tell what to do in morally complex situations (e.g., hostage crisis). |
| Subjectivity | Definitions of "virtue" vary across cultures and contexts. What is “courage” for one may be “recklessness” for another. | |
| Idealistic | Assumes long-term moral cultivation—less suitable for immediate crisis management. | |
| Individual | Slow moral development | Requires long-term effort and personal maturity—not quick-fix decision-making. |
| Risk of moral elitism | Can lead to judgments against those from different social/moral backgrounds. | |
| Society | Role conflict | Conflicting virtues (e.g., honesty vs loyalty) may create confusion in social dilemmas. |
| Cultural bias | Some virtues may be emphasized over others based on tradition (e.g., obedience over questioning). | |
| Bureaucracy | No uniform yardstick | Difficult to evaluate or audit "virtue" compared to rule-following or outcome-achieving. |
| Vulnerable to moral image-building | Can be misused to appear virtuous without accountability. |
Virtue ethics fills the gap between outcome-based utilitarianism and rule-based deontology. It asks “What kind of person should I be?” – making it ideal for civil services where inner moral character matters.
| School | Virtues Highlighted |
|---|---|
| Gita | Nishkama Karma, Dharma, Satya, Ahimsa |
| Buddhism | 8-fold path (right speech, conduct, mindfulness) |
| Jainism | Aparigraha, Anekantavada, Ahimsa |
| Kautilya | Vinaya, Niti, Nyaya, Anuprashna (good ruler = virtuous ruler) |
Case: You are a DM. A local builder, who is a friend, offers you a favour for fast-tracking land acquisition.
🟢 Virtue Ethics Approach: