2015 · GS Paper 4 · Q2(b) · 10 marks
Given are two quotations of moral thinkers/philosophers. For each of these, bring out what it means to you in the present context: "We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light."
In short
The quotation means that ignorance in a child is forgivable, but an adult's deliberate refusal to face truth, reason and scrutiny is a tragedy of chosen blindness. Satyendra Dubey's murder in 2003 after exposing highway corruption shows how societies punish those who bring light.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 302 words
Ignorance and truth
The dark is the unknown, natural for a child to fear; the light is knowledge and exposure, which adults fear because truth may demand change or reveal their faults.
The cave
Plato's Allegory of the Cave pictures prisoners who prefer shadows and turn on the one who brings daylight.
Courage to know
Kant's motto "Sapere aude", dare to know, makes facing the light a moral act.
Post-truth
"Post-truth" was the Oxford Dictionaries word of 2016; confirmation bias makes people shun facts that unsettle them.
Secrecy in administration
Officials who resist disclosure fear scrutiny; the RTI Act, 2005 brings government into the light, building on S.P. Gupta (1981), which read the right to know into free speech.
Silencing truth-tellers
Satyendra Dubey was murdered in 2003 after exposing corruption in the Golden Quadrilateral project, a case that fed the demand for the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014; Narendra Dabholkar was killed in 2013 for fighting superstition.
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This chapter in the exam
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from the world14 questions
Asked in 11 of 14 sittings since 2013
- 2025What do each of these quotations convey to you in the present context? "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes." – William James
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2015 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.