UPSC Mains PHILOSOPHY-PAPER-II 2016

28 Questions • 400 Marks • With Detailed Model Answers

1
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
“Sovereignty is the supreme power over citizens and subjects, unrestrained by law.” Discuss.
Political TheoryPolitical Science
2
10 Marks150 Wordshard
A well-ordered society, according to Rawls, is effectively regulated by a public conception of justice. Do you agree? Give reasons.
Political TheoryPolitical Science
3
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
“Socialism itself is the fulfilment of democracy.” Analyse.
Political TheoryPolitical Science
4
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
Evaluate the statement that all human beings have certain unalienable rights.
Political TheoryEthicsPhilosophy
5
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
“The goal in punishing should be to reform the individual.” Comment.
Political TheoryLawEthics
6
15 Marksmedium
Is liberty a positive and equal opportunity of self-realization? Discuss.
Political TheoryPolitical Science
7
15 Marksmedium
On what grounds does Laski criticize Austin's concept of sovereignty?
Political TheoryPolitical Science
8
20 Marksmedium
“The right of free speech implies the genuine independence of the judiciary and its complete separation from the executive.” Evaluate.
Political TheoryLawConstitutionalism
9
20 Marksmedium
Is the State an agency for expressing the will of the ruling classes? Examine.
Political TheoryPolitical Science
10
15 Marksmedium
Can we consider "freedom from domination" as one of the justifications for multiculturalism? Give reasons for your answer.
Political TheorySocial Issues
11
15 Marksmedium
Is it possible to measure social progress independent of economic development? Discuss.
Social IssuesEconomics
12
15 Marksmedium
“To me the female sex is not the weaker sex. It is the nobler of the two.” Evaluate this statement of Gandhi.
Social IssuesIndian Philosophy
13
15 Marksmedium
Do you agree that women become empowered through collective reflection and decision-making? Discuss.
Social IssuesGender Studies
14
20 Marksmedium
How did Ambedkar analyse the caste system from the historical and social perspectives? Explain.
Social IssuesIndian History
15
10 Marks150 Wordshard
Critically discuss the view that 'modern sensibility and total obedience to a despotic God' do not go hand in hand.
PhilosophyReligion
16
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
“World-religion is a spiritualistic and humanistic composite.” Evaluate.
ReligionPhilosophy
17
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
Is Religious absolutism a threat to Religious pluralism? Discuss.
ReligionSocial Issues
18
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
Buddhism disbelieves in the immortality of soul, but accepts the phenomenon of rebirth. Examine.
ReligionPhilosophy
19
10 Marks150 Wordsmedium
Faith means human awareness of God; but it cannot be irrational. Analyse.
ReligionPhilosophy
20
15 Marksmedium
The content of revelation is a body of truths expressed in statements or propositions. But it cannot be against reason. Discuss.
ReligionPhilosophy
21
20 Markshard
Compare and contrast the relation of man to the world in the oriental religions.
ReligionPhilosophy
22
15 Marksmedium
Show how the attributes of immanence and transcendence of God go with omnipresence and infinitude.
ReligionPhilosophy
23
20 Marksmedium
State and evaluate the nature and validity of mystic experience.
ReligionPhilosophy
24
15 Marksmedium
“Moral principles function better when they remain independent and unconnected with religion.” Discuss.
EthicsReligionPhilosophy
25
15 Markshard
“It would be self-contradictory to say that the most perfect conceivable being lacks the attribute of existence.” Analyse.
ReligionPhilosophy
26
20 Marksmedium
“If God is all-powerful, God must wish to abolish all evils; but moral and natural evils are rampant in the world.” How would a theist react to this?
ReligionPhilosophy
27
15 Markshard
Among the different views of religious language, which one is more satisfactory and why?
ReligionPhilosophy
28
15 Marksmedium
“The natural world is as complexly and manifestly designed as a watch.” Evaluate.
ReligionPhilosophy