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Question

What is meant by 'crisis of conscience'? How does it manifest itself in the public domain?

This question was previously asked in
UPSC CSE 2019 (Prelims) CSAT Previous Year Paper (02-Jun-2019)

A 'crisis of conscience' occurs when an individual faces a deep moral dilemma, where their personal ethical beliefs clash fundamentally with a professional directive, societal expectation, or the perceived demands of their duty. It’s an internal struggle to reconcile what is right with what is required. This profound discomfort can manifest in the public domain in various ways. Whistleblowing is a prominent example, where an employee exposes wrongdoing within an organization because their conscience cannot tolerate complicity. Resignations on principle, where an official steps down rather than compromise their values or participate in unethical practices, also illustrate this. Civil disobedience, where citizens defy unjust laws based on a moral imperative, is another manifestation. In essence, a crisis of conscience in the public sphere often leads to individuals taking a stand, sometimes at great personal cost, to uphold what they believe is ethically sound, challenging the status quo for the greater good.

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Sarvesh Jha

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