Ethics: Glossary
Ethics: Glossary
The nature of the Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude paper is such that it contains many philosophical and theoretical terms, which might appear new to an aspirant. Thus, with an intention to acquaint the candidates with the various terminologies of the Ethics paper, UPSCPORTAL presents a Glossary for the Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.
The page will be regularly updated to includes terms related to the ethics paper.
We hope that the candidates would be benefitted by this initiative.
Please feel free to contact our team for more support and assistance on the topics.
Term |
Description/Meaning |
Agnostic |
One who believe that nothing can be known about God/religion. Such a person claims neither faith nor disbelief in God. |
Authoritarian |
a strict adherence to the authority, even at the expense of personal freedom. |
Autonomy |
the ability to think and act freely , without any external compulsion. |
Deduction |
The art of ruling out the incorrect options and arriving at the right choice. This method moves from the ‘General to Particular’ |
Discipline |
Subject |
Empathetic |
characterized by empathy, that is, a sensitive attitude to others’ feeling. |
Etymologically |
It means the study about the history and origin of the word. It studies about the evolution of the word. |
Existentialism |
A philosophical idea that views the individual as a free and responsible agent determining his own development through the acts of his will. |
Foundational Base |
a principle that is the main source of other ideas. also known as the First Idea/Principle. |
Hedonism |
concerning about pleasure and pain only |
Indoctrination |
process of inculcating of a set of particular ideas, attitudes, and behavior, while not considering any other ideas or perspective. |
Legitimately |
according to the law and customs of the society. |
Materialism |
A tendency to think only about the material aspects of life. Pursuing only the material gains. |
Moral Codes |
The ideas defining what is good and bad, set for a particular society |
Normative |
Value-based |
Objective |
based on impersonal ideas, and not influenced by personal feelings. Objective ideas are generally seen as universal. |
Pathological |
deviant or contrary to the generally acceptable view and norms |
Reciprocity |
The principle of give-and-take. Human behavior is often based on what is experienced. Thus, good experiences evoke good responses, while bad experiences evoke bad responses. |
Subjectivists |
it is a philosophical idea that believes in the validity of the self experience only. It views the world according to the individual’s perspective |
‘svabhava’ |
one’s true self/nature, which can be realized through self-realization. |
Transcendental |
something related to the spiritual or non-physical realm, like soul, spirit, God |
Team UPSCPORTAL