On the ethics and morality

About a month ago, an acquaintance of mine asked me to write an essay on morality and ethics according to the ancient texts. Later I saw someone commenting on the Internet that the concept of morality and ethics in ancient societies arose mainly due to divine influences. Perhaps that is a reference to special inputs and commandments on law and morality from time to time from ancient seers and prophets. But that probably happened along the way as time passed and not initially when humans first gave rise to society.

There are a number of Vedic hymns which indicate that the idea of ethics and morality initially transpired during early civilization as a human need for security, law and order. It even might have arisen in the beginning as a prayer and wishful thinking when there were no reliable sources for inspiration and protection:

“May this our home be guarded well forward, ye Bounteous, on the way;
Who bear us safely over distress.” Rig Veda (Book 7: Hymn 66.5);

“True to Law, born in Law the strengtheners of Law, terrible, haters of the false;
In their felicity which gives the best defense may we men and our princes dwell.” Rig Veda (Book 7: Hymn 66.13).

It seems the issue of ethics and morality is a complex and open-ended one. There are many variations and interpretations for ethics which seem to depend on the place, organization, time and the individual. While still a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering long ago, I was asked by faculty members in my department to send a research paper to a conference in Palo Alto (California), which I did. Later, after I had sent the paper and informed the concerned, I learnt that same people had been claiming to others (in private, which I found out afterwards) that I had sent the paper without their knowledge and permission and that it was not ethical. Of course, I did not see it that way considering the chain of events.

It was a difficult situation for me. I told a friend of mine, a Ph.D. student in another department, about it and the confusion and difficulty it posed for me then and later. He seemed quite sympathetic to my situation but indicated to me that I should have ignored my faculty members earlier, while sending the paper from my thesis research. I told him that that would amount to not sending the paper to the conference when I was asked. Moreover, that could lead to the accusations against me for not listening to and obeying the professors and being not cooperative. My friend appeared to agree with my explanation eventually.

The above example shows that there can be considerable confusion and complexity while dealing with issues which can be assumed, justifiably or otherwise, related to behavior, ethics and morality etc.

By: Dr. Subhash C. Sharma
Email: [email protected]
Date: July 22, 2008

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