Ramanujan International Journal of Applied Ethics

Ethical Questions Concerning Corporal Punishment of Children: Touring its Implications and Directions

2022-07-12T09:25:38+00:00

The following paper intends to expound few ethical questions around the
practice of corporal punishment of children. Moving beyond a myriad of mental and physical ramifications, the objective here is to estimate the deep-seated issues that the damaging disciplinary model of corporal punishment yields and, furthermore, to promote a Virtue Ethical approach to parental discipline. For the sake of clarity and precision, the paper will restrict to two ethical questions: the question of personhood and degradation. Plainly put, a beating does not just affect the subject physically but has reverberating ethical consequences. In the end, I shall suggest/ argue that Virtue Ethics presents an approach to remedial parenting that guides the child in an ethical manner.

The paper will address the following fundamental research questions: What ethical concerns does the practice of corporal punishment of children upheave? How do the questions concerning personhood and degradation offer an ethical interpretive paradigm for understanding the real iniquitous transactions of corporal punishment of children? and Which prominent ethical theory can act as a remedial model in this context? This paper intends to make the readers cognizant of the entrenched ethical implications and ensuing directions of this inglorious form of parenting style.

Approach to Happiness: A Philosophical Discourse

2022-07-12T09:50:05+00:00

This paper explains the connection between mind, peace and happiness. The
act of breathing is common to all living humans through which path to understanding
the mind could be discovered. Virtues are revealed through level of purity in the mind.
Happiness as experienced through such a mind is stable and unique. One must move towards understanding and acquiring this unique state of happiness. The purity is achieved through practice of yogic exercises of breathing known as Pranayama. The stages through which mind will evolve are well understood, so is the idea that philosophy has a role in creating a connect between the theory and practice of religion and rituals, which may make it possible for the mind to evolve itself to the said goal. The nomenclature may be any but the effect is to be found in all its subtle forms. The reference to Patanjaliyogapradeep (Omanandteerth, 1954) ) is more than necessary as it contains the knowledge and wisdom both through the experience of realized human minds.

Aristotle’s hexis, phronesis, and Prolific Politics: Through a Musicological Lens

2022-07-12T09:58:30+00:00

This paper attempts to examine and interpret the idea of phronesis, which unfolds in book Six of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics. Emphasizing the role of politics, Aristotle’s concept of phronesis(practical wisdom) involves the idea of habit (hexis) or cultivating moral virtues. It is thought that phronesis helps agents avoid extremes in their choices and finally achieve the thoughtfully desired good. Implications of these ideas lead us to ask – where do we get/cultivate phronesis? What is the nature of politics that cultivates active dispositions in us? In order to answer these questions, I interpret Aristotle’s concepts of phronesis and politics through Indian Classical Music’s principle of ’improvisation.’ In the initial part, I discuss Aristotle’s ethical framework to understand the role of habit (hexis) and politics in the cultivation of phronesis. I will then show problems in MacIntyre’s interpretation of these ideas. Finally, I will argue that as a musician’s ’new’ imaginative creativity arises from ’given’ patterns of melodic possibilities provided by a prolific teacher, practical wisdom is also cultivated by ’hexis imparting’ politics. However, politics must be qualified with prolificity, which will develop autonomous moral agency and evade any coercive influence of socio-customary morality.

Ambedkar and Annihilation of Caste–Performing Theory, Praxis, Counter Identity

2022-07-12T10:05:47+00:00

Caste needs to be denounced because it is downrightly unethical and immoral. Ambedkar has been at the forefront of the ethical battle against caste inequalities in India and has left an indelible imprint on Indian polity, governance, and human rights. The paper here attempts to read Ambedkar, the man, the theorist, and an anti-caste intellectual, primarily through his seminal work Annihilation of Caste (1936). An analysis of this undelivered speech, the text, and its context form the broad outline of the paper. Within this outline, Ambedkar’s other texts like his paper presented at Columbia University titled Castes in India: Their Mechanism, Genesis and Development (1916), Who Were the Shudras (1946), Who Were the Untouchables (1948), and a select few speeches like the Mahad speech in December 1927 are some of the watershed events and interventions in the history of anticaste struggle in India. These are landmark texts by Ambedkar and have been selected and analyzed in a manner that studies the ethical dimensions of the marginalized groups, the untouchables in this case. As for his praxis, his role as a politician, journalist, statesman, a trained economist, and as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution speaks for itself. The paper attempts to figure out the man’s emergence, the ethical concerns in his works, his growth as a theorist, and his anti-caste praxis in developing an anti-caste consciousness primarily through Annihilation of Caste.

Comparative Study on Women in the Manusmr. ti and the Qur’an

2022-07-12T10:11:11+00:00

The main purpose of this paper is to focus on the status of women in the light of the Manusmr. ti and the Qur’an. I have no intention to support or criticise any religious scripture blindly; rather I aim to shed some light on the treatment of women and then social status in these religious scriptures. Importantly, both of the religious scriptures are generally alleged to be responsible for the degradation of women’s status in society. I find this view to be ill-founded or at least not cognizant of the full range of the discussion of women’s rights status, and social treatment as present in these scriptures. When we do take a look at the full-range of the discussion, we also find evidence suggesting that both the the Qur’an and the Manusmr. ti have paid many discussions giving equal importance to man and woman, and even in some particular cases, they recommended giving more respect to women. The matter, in other words, is more complex than what the general critique of these scriptures would suggest.

Abortion: A Comparative Analysis of the Ethical and Ontological Status of the Fetus

2022-07-12T10:15:55+00:00

Amongst the multifarious directions and dimensions of abortion, the paper focuses on whether the moral permissibility or impermissibility of aborting the foetus can be grounded on the positive or negative status of its personhood. Paper attempts to put forth philosophical discussion that would enable one to arrive at a secular approach to the question of abortion. The present paper aims to discuss in detail whether the conceptual gap between fetal personhood and the moral impermissibility of abortion can be established through the theories of Hon-Lam Li, Paul S. Penner Richard T. Hull, K.E. Himma, and John F.Crosby. Further, the paper will try to juxtapose all these theories of fetal personhood and attempts to draw out significant lines of comparison and contrast amongst them. This will help in determining which theory comes up with the most cogent synthesis of the ethical and ontological issues in abortion.

Sustainability and Development: From the Lens of Social Justice

2022-07-12T10:20:39+00:00

Sustainability is a much-talked-about term in today’s time. Sustainability’s relation with development is quite complex. The term Sustainability means to sustain and was first mentioned in the Brundtland Report in the World Commission on Environment. It defined sustainability as meeting our needs without being detrimental to future needs. Sustaining the resources with a decent pace of development is what is important. The development itself is a debated term with respect to its meaning. Whether it only means economic growth or overall development of a country, including social development, economic growth, and sustaining the natural environment to provide enough resources for the generations to come. Taking only that much from nature which doesn’t result in exploitation of the environment, thereby resulting in injustice. This further raises an issue with regard to the affluent countries already developed and poor countries making an effort to bring a standard of living for its citizens. This paper makes an attempt to argue that sustainability and development are not opposite to each other rather, both should go hand in hand. Thus, the concept of sustainable development came to be, and what we rightly mean by sustainable development and how it may result in terms of social justice. A developed society is one where social justice prevails, not only in the talking terms but also in terms of policies and implementation. This paper makes an attempt to draw this parallel between the theory and practice.

Equality Versus Excellence: Does Universal Adult Franchise Complement Democratic Values?

2022-07-12T10:56:26+00:00

Since political equality, free and fair elections, and universal adult franchise have become synonymous with the primary characteristics of democracy, it is ironic to see how such democratic means have the potential to yield undemocratic outcomes. This article questions whether political equality practiced through a universal adult franchise is able to fulfill its goal of empowering people to express their ‘will’ equally or whether this political equality actually is the reason behind the increase in substantial inequality as people have the unequal capability of cognitive decision making, and hence are susceptible to influence which might corrupt their ‘real will’ and end up expressing ‘false will.’ If people possessing unequal cognitive ability are enfranchised with an equal value of the vote, then it might lead to greater inequality in expressing the ‘real will’ of the people. Furthermore, although every citizen is considered to be morally equal and deserves equal respect, there are bound to be inequalities in terms of wealth, education, luck, etc. The real aim of democracy is to reduce such inequality and propound egalitarianism rather than simple equalitarianism through democratic decision-making. This article further proposes an alternative plural voting system where people could be awarded extra votes as per their excellence and disadvantage.