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Question

Distinguish between laws and rules. Discuss the role of ethics in formulating them.

This question was previously asked in
UPSC CSE 2020 (Prelims) CSAT Previous Year Paper (04-Oct-2020)

Laws and rules both provide guidelines for conduct, but they differ in scope and enforcement. Rules are specific to an organization or activity, like school regulations or game rules. Their enforcement is contextual. Laws are formal, codified rules established by the state, applying universally within a jurisdiction. Their violation leads to formal penalties like fines or imprisonment.

The role of ethics in formulating them is fundamental. Ethics provides the moral compass, ensuring that laws and rules serve justice, fairness, and the common good, not just order and control. It pushes lawmakers to ask: Is this rule equitable? Does this law protect the vulnerable? A law might be legally valid but ethically corrupt if it promotes discrimination. Ethics infuses the legal framework with a soul, aiming to create a just and humane society, not merely an obedient one.


 

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