Mains Practice Questions

1. Truth is not what we see, but what we choose to acknowledge

• Quotes to Enrich Your Essay:
  • George Orwell: “The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.”
  • Friedrich Nietzsche: “There are no facts, only interpretations.”
  • Carl Jung: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
• Theoretical and Philosophical Dimensions:
  • Truth vs. Perception:
    • Human perception is inherently limited and subjective. What we see is often filtered through our biases, experiences, and cultural conditioning.
    • Cognitive biases like confirmation bias, selective perception, and the Dunning-Kruger effect shape our interpretation of reality.
  • Acknowledgment as a Moral and Intellectual Act:
    • Acknowledging the truth requires courage, honesty, and awareness. Denial often stems from convenience or fear.
    • Moral psychology shows that individuals often avoid uncomfortable truths to maintain cognitive consistency or social harmony.
  • Truth in a Post-Truth Era:
    • In today’s information age, facts are often drowned in narratives. What gains visibility is not necessarily what is true, but what is amplified or chosen by masses or media.
    • “Truth” becomes a function of collective agreement, not objective verification.
• Policy and Historical Examples:
  • Selective Acknowledgment in History:
    • Climate Change Denial: Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, denial persists due to vested interests and short-term political/economic gains.
    • Caste Discrimination in India: Though legally abolished, societal structures continue to deny the deep-rooted reality of caste-based inequities.
  • Truth in Transitional Justice:
    • South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC): Instead of burying the atrocities of apartheid, the TRC promoted national healing by acknowledging painful truths.
    • Holocaust Education in Germany: A model of how acknowledging historical atrocities builds moral responsibility in future generations.
• Contemporary Examples:
  • Media and Algorithmic Reality:
    • Echo Chambers: Social media platforms show users content aligned with their beliefs, distorting perception and leading to ideological polarization.
    • Deepfakes and Misinformation: The line between reality and illusion is increasingly blurred, making “truth” a matter of algorithmic validation.
  • Personal Psychology:
    • Many people ignore emotional or psychological trauma rather than confront it, illustrating how truth is not always seen, but must be chosen to be dealt with.

2. The past is a compass, not a map

• Quotes to Enrich Your Essay:
  • Confucius: “Study the past if you would define the future.”
  • Winston Churchill: “Those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.”
  • Yuval Noah Harari: “History began when humans invented gods, and will end when humans become gods.”
• Theoretical and Philosophical Dimensions:
  • Compass vs. Map:
    • A map suggests fixed directions and certainties, while a compass offers orientation without prescribing a single path.
    • History cannot be mechanically replicated; it can guide principles but not outcomes.
  • Danger of Historical Determinism:
    • Blind reliance on past models (e.g., nationalism rooted in glorified history) often leads to regressive policies or conflict.
    • Human agency and context evolve — what worked in the past may become irrelevant or even harmful in a different socio-political landscape.
  • Use of History in Identity and Morality:
    • The past offers ethical benchmarks and collective memory. It helps societies remember what must never be repeated—like genocide, slavery, or colonial oppression.
    • Philosophically, history offers existential grounding, but should not be a chain shackling future innovation.
• Policy and Historical Examples:
  • Productive Uses of the Past:
    • Indian Constitution: Borrowed features from various global constitutions, not as templates but as guiding philosophical principles (e.g., UK’s parliamentary system, US’s federalism).
    • European Union Formation: Learning from the devastation of two world wars, European nations chose integration over nationalism, using the past as a moral compass.
  • Misuse or Overreliance on the Past:
    • Nazi Germany’s mythic past: Hitler's glorification of the Aryan race and ancient Germanic identity led to fascism and genocide.
    • Taliban’s imposition of Sharia law: Attempts to recreate a past societal order, ignoring modern values of gender equality and human rights.
• Contemporary Examples:
  • History-Inspired Reforms:
    • South Korea’s rise from colonization and war: Instead of lamenting the past, it became a tech and education hub by redefining its national narrative.
    • Truth and Reconciliation in Rwanda post-genocide: Rebuilt society by acknowledging the past but not being trapped by vengeance.
  • Dangers of Living in the Past:
    • Cultural nostalgia movements often resist progressive laws, from LGBTQ+ rights to gender equality, by citing “traditional values”.
    • In geopolitics, revanchist ideologies (e.g., Russia invoking Soviet-era glory) create global instability