1.1 Analytical ethics – An introduction:

• Ethics as a branch of philosophy
• Ethics and aesthetics as a pair in classical Greek philosophyAreas of -or- approaches to ethics: Ethical norms /Ethical codes Vs Analytical Ethics (Theory of Ethics or Philosophy of Ethics)
• • • Analytical Ethics: Pure and Applied Ethics
    • Branches of Pure or General Ethics:
      • Meta-Ethics (Perspectives of Ethics)
      • Normative Ethics (Ethical standards)
• Normative Ethics Vs Ethical norms

1.2 Contemporary language of analytical ethics

• Ethics compared and contrasted with morals, customs, values, folkways, etiquette, etc.
• Actions: Moral-immoral, ethical-unethical, legal-illegal, legal but immoral, moral but unethical, etc.

Glossary:

• Virtue Ethics (classical and modern)
•  Stoicism
• Hedonism (Cyrenaic, Epicurean etc.)
• Consequentialism: State consequentialism, Teleology or General Consequentialism (including various kinds of Utilitarianism)
• Deontology
• Pragmatic Ethics
• Ethics of Care
• Role Ethics
• Anarchist Ethics
• Post-modern Ethics etc.
• Ethical realism
• Ethical cognitivism
• Ethical naturalism, etc.

2.1 Dāsbodh ethics as a Vedic view of ethics:

• Dāsbodh on Vedas, Dharma, etc.

• Hedonism, ethical nihilism – Vedic version: Lokāyata /Cārvāka: comparison
• Dharma as the common axis between Vaidika and Avaidika traditions
• Comparison of notions of ethics in the Vaidika and Avaidika (Bauddha, Jaina etc.) dharma traditions
• Distinct features of ethical ideas of Vedic tradition

3.1 Vedic idea of Dharma: Ritam, Dharmah, Satyam

• Natural Law in the west and India
• Connection of Ethics to cosmic order
• Truth in Science and Natural Law
• Sṛṣṭidharma, prakṛtidharma = laws of nature – subject matter of natural sciences
  • as independent of human presence
  • human actions right or wrong
  • ethical or unethical
  • as the laws governing the ‘actions’/behaviour of non-human beings
  • as the laws governing the physical, biological aspects of human body
• Ṛtam, the cosmic order, law underlying all laws – How Ṛtam relates to Dharma and Satyam (the Truth); (Ṛtam as non-relative (absolute) (deśakālābādhita)) Dharma and non-relative (absolute) (deśakālābādhita) Satyam at the same time
• Śṛuti (the eternal spirit) and smṛti (the time-suited code)
• Relative (deśakālabaddha) and non-relative (absolute) (deśakālābādhita) Dharma
• Natural law – manmade law; Dharma – rājājňa (modern constitutions etc.)

Ethics as dos and don’ts:

• Dharma as vihita, vidhi and niṣedha
• Mīmāṁsā view of Dharma: Vidhi and niṣedha
• puṇya and pāpa ; svarga and naraka; how are they connected to karma: Nitya, naimittika and kāmya (jyotiṣṭomena svargakāmo yajeta)
• Normative ethics or standards underlying vidhis and niṣedhas: Dāsabodha (Vedic) view Dharma as duty, the deontological aspect of ethics
• Dharma as duty, the deontological aspect of ethics
• Dharma as guṇa /lakṣaṇa/svabhāva = characteristic/property
• Dharma as law
• Dharma as justice
• Dharma as charity (paropakāraḥ puṇyāya; pāpāya parapīḍanam)

• Rewards and punishments as the consequence of cosmic order’s sustenance of itself
• Individual small in front of the system, organization to cosmos
• Link between Dharma as guṇa and Dharma as duty; ‘acting as per svabhāva is duty’ presupposes svabhāvas being created as per the requirement of sustenance of universe
• Svadharma (svaguṇakarmānuguṇa-karma) is ethical and paradharma (karma different from or contrary to svaguṇakarma) is unethical