Q1) ‘The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.’

(150 Words/10 Marks)

ANS

Kant defined evil as human beings’ tendency to act against the universal moral law. The outcome of one’s natural tendency, or innate propensity, towards evil are actions or “deeds” that lead to subordination of morality.

Evil acts pose threat of destruction for the world in following ways:

1. Sometimes one’s circumstances propel them to act against the already set moral standards of the world.

E.g., crimes under effect of poverty.

2. Evil acts often tend to bring in conflict among various sections of society.

E.g., exploitation of workers.

3. Wrong doings tend to threaten marginalized sections of society, creating disharmony.

E.g., diversion of funds and benefits for the poor due to corruption and scams.

4. Acts that go against humanity like terrorism strikes at the root of morality of cooperation and brotherhood between nations.

5. Criminalization of Politics cause erosion of democratic values and protect interest of feudal elements.

E.g., issues of money and muscle power in politics.

But it is not just doing of evil but absence of counter to evil is also part of the problem as:

1. Identification: One must identify the way to counter any wrong act that tends to impede human peace and progress.

E.g., Lack of international consensus on definition of terrorism is an impediment in containing terrorism.

2. Protection of Rights: Nations including civil society must act against threat to individual dignity and freedom.

E.g., #MeToo movement which changed laws in countries with regard to sexual exploitation faced by women at workplace (POSH Guidelines)

3. Abandon narrow self–interest: One should always be empathetic towards others and treat them with compassion and sympathy.

E.g., discriminatory refugee policies cause ghettoization and result in criminalization.

4. Agitation: Collective action and protest are a part and parcel of vibrant democracy which needs to be exercised from time to time.

E.g., recent protest at Sri Lankan against the despotic and corrupt government.

5. International cooperation: Countries should come up together to raise voice against any act that destroys the territorial sovereignty of any free nation.

E.g., various international organizations issued sanctions issues against Russia due to its invasion in Ukraine.

One should never accept toleration towards policies, attitudes and values that go against the basic ideas of human rights. Conscious people should protest against threats to freedom and justice. Accepting wrong acts will only make things worse and reduce faith in humanity and oneness