UPSC Mains 2023 GS4 Q9 — Moral Philosophy

• Definition of Moral Intuition as 'gut feeling' or fast, automatic cognition.
• Definition of Moral Reasoning as a slow, conscious, and logical deliberation process.
• A direct comparison using parameters like speed, effort, and source of authority.
• Analysis of how the two interact (e.g., Social Intuitionist Model) in ethical decision-making.
• Provision of distinct, high-quality examples for both concepts.

• Treating 'intuition' as merely a 'guess' rather than an immediate moral judgment based on internalised values.
• Providing generic examples of 'honesty' without showing the mental process (intuition vs reasoning) behind the action.
• Failing to explain that moral reasoning often happens 'post-hoc' to justify an intuitive decision.
• Focusing too much on psychology and forgetting the Ethics context required for GS4.

Spend 30 words on definitions, 60 words on a tabular or point-wise comparison of 4-5 parameters, and 60 words on integrated examples (like a whistleblower’s dilemma) where intuition and reasoning either conflict or align.