Mains Practice Questions

Introduction:

The quotation by Edmund Burke underscores the moral responsibility of individuals and societies to act against injustice, corruption, and wrongdoing. It conveys that passivity or silence in the face of evil enables its growth. Evil does not triumph because it is strong, but because good people choose complacency over courage.

Body:

Core Conveyance in the Present Context

• The Moral Imperative of Action: The quote establishes a clear moral duty where the absence of a response is itself a choice with tangible negative consequences.
  • "Doing nothing" is presented not as a neutral state, but as an act of complicity that empowers injustice.
• The Vulnerability of Goodness: It highlights that goodness, without courage and action, is ineffective against determined and organised forces of corruption, extremism, or oppression.
  • It is a call to move from passive virtue to active citizenship.

Relevance Across Modern Domains

• Political and Civic Life
  • Decline of Democratic Norms: The quote directly addresses the risk of democratic decay.
    • When "good citizens" choose not to vote, refrain from holding leaders accountable, or remain silent in the face of executive overreach, they create a vacuum that can be swiftly filled by authoritarian or illiberal forces.
  • Political Polarisation: By remaining inactive, moderate or principled voices allow the most extreme and divisive rhetoric to dominate the public discourse, enabling the triumph of ideological "evil" through attrition.
• Social Justice and Human Rights
  • Systemic Injustice: In issues like climate change, racial discrimination, and economic inequality, the quote challenges the comfortable to act.
    • The persistence of these systemic evils is often sustained not by outright malice from the majority, but by the indifference of those unaffected who have the power to influence policy or cultural change.
  • The Bystander Effect: On social media and in real life, individuals often hesitate to intervene in cases of harassment or injustice, assuming someone else will step up.
    • The quote shatters this dangerous illusion of diffused responsibility.
• Organisational Ethics and Whistleblowing
  • Corporate Malfeasance: In the corporate world, massive frauds, environmental damage, or unethical labour practices often flourish because employees, managers, and board members who know the truth fail to speak out (whistleblow) for fear of retribution or simply to avoid confrontation.
    • Their inaction guarantees the "triumph" of corruption.
  • Media and Information: When principled journalists, academics, or educators remain silent for fear of censorship or backlash, they allow the spread of misinformation and propaganda, a significant form of modern evil—to take root unchallenged.

The Present-Day Challenge of "Doing Nothing"

In the current context, the challenge for the "good man" is multifaceted:

• Complexity: Modern evil is often not a clear-cut villain but a complex web of policies, algorithms, and systemic biases. Action is difficult when the target is unclear.
• Risk: Speaking out in the digital age carries the real risk of targeted attacks, online abuse, and professional ruin, making the cost of action significantly higher than simple non-participation.
• Apathy and Fatigue: In a 24/7 news cycle, the constant exposure to global crises (wars, famines, natural disasters) leads to compassion fatigue, where individuals feel overwhelmed and choose to "do nothing" as a coping mechanism against helplessness.

Conclusion:

Morality is meaningless without moral action. True goodness lies not in passive virtue but in the courage to confront wrong, even when it is inconvenient.