Contributions Of Moral Thinkers And Philosophers

From India And World; Human Values Lessons

From The Lives And Teachings Of Great Leaders,
Reformers And Administrators

KAUTILYA
1) Focus on materialism in his book arthashastra
2) Believed in the policy of noble lie ie lying for public good
3) He was the ultimate pragmatist: a person should not be too
honest. Just as straight trees are chopped down first, honest
people are taken advantage of first
4) His book has been described as a book of political realism
5) His advice to the king was similar to thinking of a theory x
manager ie the nature of the governed was : weak,
opportunistic, greedy and self serving. These were people to be
controlled by a powerful bureaucracy led by the king by selected
punishments and rewards
6) Smart power: in dealing with the states, he advocated the use
of both soft power and hard power, a concept known today as
smart power
7) Consequentialist and Utilitarian philosophy
8) Kautilyan morality
1. Raksha: protection of life and liberty
2. Palana: law and justice
3. Yogakshema: welfare of people . scholars see in this a
tinge of value based ethics
9) He advocated benevolence not as an instrinsic virtue, but as a
pragmatic tool to serve the ends of the state, to ensure the
goodwill and labor of the populace and to prevent challenges to
the ruler

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ASHOKA
1) Non violence
2) Religious tolerance
3) Dhamma: the principle of duty and obligation. To use power
to make life better for lives of his subjects
4) Dhamma espoused Right behr: Kindness, generosity,
truthfulness
5) Kindness to prisoners
6) Officials tasked with env protection duty. Concern for animal lives
too. Adopted wildlife conservation, first ruler in the history of the
world to do that
7) Social welfare: took great care of the people: spread use of
medical instruments, built roads for travel comfort, wells dug
and trees planted along roads
AKBAR
1) Din e illahi : Tolerance
2) Sulah e kul: universal peace
RAM MOHAN ROY
1) Social reforms should precede political reforms
2) Demand for freedom of press
Dayananda saraswati ref sri 19

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Jyotiba ref pg 21 sri

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
1) Service of man is service of god. Swami elevated social
service to the status of divine service
2) Freed concept of religion form superstition, dogma and
priestcraft
3) Potential divinity of the soul.
4) A new theory of ethics based on intrinsic purity and oneness of
atman
5) Believed in Freedom, democracy and liberty
6) Stressed on education that makes a man self confident. Stressed
on character building in education
7) Vedanta philosophy
8) Tolerance
9) Swamiji met the challenge of science by showing that
religion is as scientific as science itself; religion is the science of
conscience
10)
Respect for women
11)
Humanism
12)
Quote by subhash Chandra bose pg 27
13)
Stressed on the practice of meditation as he felt there is
no limit of the human mind, the more concentrated it is, the more
powerful it becomes.
14)
Patience and steady work was the only way to get
success
15)
Among the 3 things required to make every man great is
conviction in the power of goodness.
16)
World is a history of few men who had faith in
themselves

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AUROBINDO GHOSH
1) Vedantic philosophy sees unity and oneness in man and god
2) Human unity
3) True message of Vedanta was selfless action or karma yoga

4)

Declared India as Mother India

5) National education
6) True education: physical+rational+spiritual
7) Self help, self development and passive resistance(passive
resistance Is basically non cooperation. His ideas of P.R. were
precursor to Gandhi ji s ideas of non cooperation ): pg 33
8) Two negations(materialsm vis a vis spiritualism): pg 34
9) Triple transformation of the individual. Pg 36. Process of self
discovery
10)
Rejects the view of those who focus on the premises of the
here after on the fulfillment of the individual soul as a reward
for renouncing evil and doing good. . transcendence is to be
sought in this world rather than the next
11)
The divine in man can be obtained by spiritual discipline
called yoga

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TAGORE

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RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA

1) Democratic socialism
2) Gandhian
3) 4 pillar state concept: village, district, province, central govt
4) Pro village, decentralization
5) Theory of new socialism
1. Income equity
2. Democratic freedoms
3. Human rights and dignity
4. Gandhian techniques of collective and individual civil
disobedience. Basically non violent struggle as opposed to
violent methods espoused by communism. Coined the term
permanent civil disobedience as a peaceful rebellion
against injustice
6) Against Big industries.. appropriate technology.. pg 91
7) Anti caste
8) Pro women
9) Pro youth
10)
Staunchly secular
11)
Anti english
JP NARAYAN.. similar to lohiya
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Gandhian
Total revolution : pg 94
Pro women, SC, ST
Appropriate technology
Agri development, equitable land ownership
wanted a network of people committees to be established at
the grass route levels to look after the program of development
7) antyodaya concept.. right to work was an integral part of
antyodaya concept
8) against social evils like dowry
9) pro youth
10)
humanist
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ABDUL KALAM
1)
2)
3)
4)

champions promotion of scientific values amongst the masses

youth power
for self reliance in technology
values he stood for : diligence, simplicity, optimism,
perseverance
5) aiming small is a crime.. pg 98
ANNA HAZARE
1) gandhian
2) sustainable development
3) inspired by vedantic philosophy after reading Vivekananda;
believes in selfless service
4) non materialistic nature
5) RTI activist, anti corruption
6) Against caste and social barriers
7) Gram sabha empowerment votary

MOTHER TERESA
1) VALUES
1.
2.
3.
4.

Perseverance
She believed in starting alone if there was no one else
Forgiveness
Empathy

NARAYAN MURTHY
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1) Keep aside fear of failure

2) Think big
3) Sacrifice
4) Faith
5) Treat your employees well

6) Transparency.. known for good corporate

governance
7) Anti sexual harassement.. fired phaneesh murthy

Simple life
9) Donations/charity .. supporter of akshay patra
8)

foundation
10)
Honesty and integrity.. getting rich honestly.. Infosys has a
spotless image
E SRIDHARAN
1)
2)
3)
4)

Hardwork
Dedication
Work with honesty, others will cooperate
FAITH!!!

JAMSETJI AND JRD TATA.. ref pg 120

AMARTYA SEN
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)

Comprehensive Consequentialism ref pg 111

Critique of welfarism.. pg 111
Critique of Resourcism .. pg 112
Capabilility approach.. focuses on quality of life
Believes in democracy
Stress on individual freedom.. ability to choose

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PATEL.. compared often to bismarck

1) Iron fist in velvet glove
2) Steely determination
3) Pragmatism
4) Secular.. anti hindu extremism
5) Courage
6) Protector of Minority rights.. went to nizamudin auliya dargah
to reassure delhi muslims
7) Nationalist
8) Patron saint of indian civil service
9) The organizer and implementer.. the doer rather than the
thinker
10) Supporter peasants rights ##kheda and bardoli satyagraha
AMBEDKAR
1) Essence of his political philosophy
1. The rights are protected not by law but by social and
moral conscience of society
2. Democratic form of govt presupposes a democratic
form of society
2) He was A social democrat in spirit and practice
3) political democracy can not last unless there lies at the base of
it social democracy which means a way of life which recognizes
liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life
4) Precedence of social over political issues
5) Pg 67.. view on liberalism
6) Votary of principle of equality. Advocated higher version ie
Equality of consideration, Equality of respect and equality of
dignity
7) Decried violence as a means of seizing power and instead called
for resolute mass action
8) On criticism of Gandhis untouchability movement.. ref pg 68
9) Argued for annihilation of caste
10)
Primary burden of emanicipating themselves lies with
untouchable themselves. Such self help required not only
struggles but also education and organization
11)
Freedom, equality , fraternity. Not only individual but
also group rights. Rights of minorities. Defended positive
discrimination. He felt that a set of positive measures are a better
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guarantee than merely conscience of society although the latter

is a prerequisite he saw preferential measures as resting on an
inclusive conception of rights rather than merely the goodwill or
benevolence of the majority
12)
Rule of law
13)
Saw law as source of morality.
14)
His new interpretation of Buddhism
1. Affirms the existence of this world
2. Upholds reason and science
3. Privileged the poor and the exploited
4. Values freedom, equality

JAWAHAR LAL NEHRU

1) Called the maker of modern India
2) Was a nationalist. But did not appreciate narrow and
fanatical type of nationalism
3) Liberal and tolerant
4) Quote on pg 55

5) Scientific humanism.. pg 61 nehru was a great

humanist
6) a/c him democracy was an intellectual condition
7) individual freedom but understood the requirement of
reasonable restrictions
8) liberty, equality, fraternity, rights
9) socialist views
10) democracy and socialism are means to an end and not the
end itself
11) Nehrus concept of socialism: ref pg 58
12) Advocate of science and industrialization
13) Internationalist ardent supporter of UN, third
world nations, disarmament and world peace. there is only
one alternative to world terrorism and it is world peace

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GANDHI JI
1) Truth in gandhis philosophy is god
2) Non violence
1. Personal: absence of physical violence in interpersonal
relationship. abstention from violent thoughts and speech
2. Civic: absence of violence in relationship with other
social groups and the state
3) Satyagraha
4) Secular
5)

Swaraj: Political and spiritual . pg 49

1. Spiritual swaraj : karma yoga;

6)

Su rajya: apart from being a constitutionally limited liberal

state, the state shares power with institutions of civil society.

7) Simple living
8) Economic philosophy of Self sufficiency
9) Trusteeship principle: pg 50
10)
Khadi
11)
Fasting: an important method of exerting mental control
over base desires
12)
Tolerance for other religion
13)
as soon as we loose moral basis, we cease to be religious
14)
7 virtues of Gandhi. Ref CN
Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.

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15)

4 prerequisites of right action.. pg 52

16)

Sarvodaya: upliftment of all

RABINDRA NATH TAGORE

1) Faith in human spirit and optimism
2) Humanistic
3) For him freedom was the road to self realization.. pg 38
4) Upnishadic doctrine
5) Socialism, democracy, social justice and freedom
6) Considered the real problem of India as social and not political
7) For reason and scientific temper
8) He condemned romantic overattachment to the past
9) Criticized the concept of nationalism. Was againt narrow
interpretation of nationalism. Preached universalism
10)
On education ref pg 41.. established shantiniketan
1. Emphasized on nature as the best teacher. Staunch
naturalist
2. Rejection of book centered education
3. Freedom to learner
4. Practical teaching
5. Focus on fine arts(dance, drama etc)
6. Education for rural reconstrutction
11)
Pg 43
12)
He was for cooperative agriculture
13)
Against caste system
14)
Non violence.. condemned communists in Russia for
violence
15)
Believer in freedom of mind

FOREIGN PHILOSOPHERS
1) DESCARTES
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1. He emphasized the human minds capacity to know,

what mind can know
2. Gave rise to epistemology
2) Aristotle
1. Virtue and vise is not a part of intellectual skill but a part
of moral skill. Knowledge may increase intellect but
morality is inherent
2. Moral skills can be developed through habit. If you want
to be truthful, practice speaking truth. If you want to be
virtuous, practice virtue. Virtue leads to happiness
SOCRATES
1. SOCRATIC METHOD or the question method
2.
Actus hominis - The acts of man. Acts without will.
Actus humanus - Human acts. Voluntary acts with a will behind them.

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