Dr. Samani Mangal Pragya
For the development of life, stability and prosperity of society, good conduct is the most essential factor. In the form of duty, whatever rules and regulations are considered, all those fall under the category of conduct. Conduct has been a subject of consideration for all Indian and Western thinkers. In Socratic, Platoic and Aristotlian philosophy, ethics had the highest place. Socrates considered knowledge as the purest virtue, as he said,'virtue is knowledge'[1], but in the field of the ethics, this ideology or thinking has not been well accepted because knowledge without conduct cannot lead to the ultimate goal. It does not follow that with knowledge the conduct of a person will be righteous because in reality, contrary to this has also been seen.
Duryodhana states in the Mahabharata - I know righteousness but am unable to follow it, I also know unrighteousness but am unable to retire from it.
jānāmi dharmaṃ na ca me pravṛttiḥ,
ānāmyadharmaṃ na ca me nivṛttiḥ.[2]
Even after having the right knowledge, the purity of conduct is not essential. So the statement of Socrates is considered incomplete in the field of conduct.
The Socratic formula 'Virtue is knowledge' is found to be an inadequate explanation of the moral life of a man. Knowledge of what is right is not concomitant with a persons conduct; despite knowing the right course, one is found to deliberately choosing the wrong one. Desire tends to run counter to the dictates of reason... hence, mere intellectual instructions are not sufficient to ensure the right actions.[3]'
There is always a conflict between wisdom and desires. Intellect decides between right and wrong, but desires may push towards the false path, sidelining the right ones. In such a situation, it is compulsory to control the desire. The imposition of commands, by exercising the child in self-restraint and by inducing a habit of obedience, is a great means by which early training of controlling the will is affected, and the foundation of moral habits and good character is established. A proper harmony between intellect and desire is required.[4] The training as to how to make one's desire work under one's wisdom, is essential. Aristotle has developed the principle of bringing co-ordination between wisdom and desire, in the field of conduct. His point of view is-
In the case of the continent and of the incontinent man alike, he says, 'we praise the reason of the rational part, for it exhorts them rightly and urges them to do what is best, but there is plainely present in them another principle besides the rational one, which fights and struggles against reason. For just as in the case of a paralyzed limb, when you will to move it to the right, it moves on the contrary to the left, so is the case with the soul, the continent man's impulses run counter to his reason. Again he speaks of the faculty of appetite or of desire in general, which partakes of the reason in a manner- i.e., in so far as it listens to reasons and submits to its way... further, all advice and all rebuke and exhortation testifies that the irrational is in some way amenable to reason.'
Moral virtue, for Aristotle, is a habit of choice or purpose, purpose being desire following upon deliberation. A right purpose then involves both true reasoning and right desire. Hence the final end of moral discipline is reform and not the suppression of desire.[5]'
'Conduct according to knowledge' - is an important part of Ethical philosophy. Without knowledge conduct is blind and without conduct knowledge is lame.[6] As in the Sānkhya philosophy prakṛti and puruṣa - both are complementary to each other, similarly in the field of ethics knowledge and conduct are a mutually complimentary. According to Jain philosophy, knowledge is the foundation of conduct. First adopt right knowledge and then follow the conduct accordingly.
Pahamaṃ ṇāṇaṃ tao dayā[7]
The key maxim of Lord Mahavira's principle of conduct is 'jñāna prathamo dharmaḥ'. In the absence of knowledge, the path of conduct cannot be determined. Only a person endowed with right knowledge recognizes or discriminates between good and bad conduct and follows good conduct abandoning the bad one. The discrimination of right and wrong depends upon knowledge. This fact has also been established in Sūtṛakrtāṅga. First know the bondage, then break it down.[8] What is the bondage then? What are the causes of bondage? What are the ways to break it? Only after knowing the answers to all these, bondage can be broken down. Neither this concept supports the knowledge solely nor the conduct in particular. It is the harmonious existence of both, that leads to liberation.
The quest for the essence has always been the subject of man's intelligence. Essence is that, which has nutritive power, affection, harmony, sweetness. Milk is nutritious. Man was not satisfied with it. He tried to find the essence and derived butter out of it. The skin of a mango fruit has nutritional power, but man was not satisfied with it and derived and relished the essence (juice) and sweetness of the fruit. Knowledge is the originator or revealer of wisdom power, but man was not satisfied with it. He kept on investigating the essence of knowledge. In this search of the essence of knowledge, the conduct is derived to be the ultimate essence. 'The essence of knowledge is conduct'.[9] In the absence of conduct knowledge is incomplete. Marx said that 'philosophy gives knowledge to man, but does not change or transform him, so there is a need of such knowledge which can transform the society.' Western thinkers have divided Metaphysics and ethics into two independent virtues, so Marx's comment is probable. Lord Mahavira did not lay importance on philosophy alone, he provided the knowledge which can be followed in the daily life as conduct. The knowledge is the first requirement. After proper knowledge, its translation into conduct is equally important.
