2019 · GS Paper 4 · Q6(a) · 10 marks
what do each of the following quotations mean to you? "An unexamined life is not worth living". – Socrates
In short
Socrates' line means that a life lived by habit, crowd or command, without questioning one's beliefs and actions, is not fully human. Hannah Arendt's banality of evil, drawn from Eichmann's 1961 trial, shows the harm done by people who never stop to think.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 267 words
Knowing oneself
Self-examination exposes bias and motive, as Patanjali's svadhyaya and the Buddha's "be a lamp unto yourself" teach.
Freedom from blind obedience
Arendt's banality of evil, drawn from Eichmann's trial (1961), shows the harm done by people who never stop to think.
Questioning tradition
Ram Mohan Roy's campaign brought the Bengal Sati Regulation (1829), and Ambedkar burnt the Manusmriti at Mahad in 1927.
Algorithmic living
Echo chambers and fake news demand a mind that checks its Confirmation Bias before believing or sharing.
The civil servant's conscience
Without reflection an officer slides into Rule-Bound Amoralism, following procedure while ignoring its human cost; Mission Karmayogi (2020) moves training from rule to role.
Purpose over pressure
Chasing marks, salaries and likes without asking why breeds stress and hollow success; examining goals restores purpose.
Institutions too
A free press, social audits and Article 51A(h)'s duty to develop the spirit of inquiry let society examine itself.
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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
- 2022what do each of the following quotations mean to you? "Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it." — Dalai Lama
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2019 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.