Framework: Ends vs Means
A comparison of the Outcome-based vs Principle-based approach to morality.
Framework: Ends vs Means
| Cue Words | Notes |
|---|---|
| Ends vs Means Framework | - Comparison of Outcome-based (Teleological/Utilitarian) vs Principle-based (Deontological/Virtue) moral approaches in governance |
| Utilitarianism (Bentham & Mill) | - Right action maximizes net utility (happiness, welfare, infrastructure benefits) for the greatest number (risk of sacrificing minority rights) |
| Virtue Ethics (Aristotle) & Deontology (Kant) | - Focus on moral character and duty; treating human beings as ends in themselves rather than disposable means to utility |
| High-Yield Ethics Data & Exemplars | - Gandhi Purity of Means and Ends Principle (*As the means, so the end*) - John Rawls Difference Principle & Constitutional Rights safeguards against majority tyranny |
| Conclusion | - Success lies in moving from cold utility calculations to **"Value-Saturated and Dignity-Verified Administrative Choice"** |
| Real-World Precedent | - The classic "Trolley Problem" thought experiment (Philippa Foot, 1967) remains the standard teaching device UPSC mentors use to illustrate the utilitarian-vs-deontological tension in real administrative dilemmas (e.g., resource-rationing decisions during the COVID-19 oxygen/ICU-bed shortage of 2021, where doctors effectively faced trolley-problem-style triage choices) |