Role of Ethical Values in Modern Society: A Critical Study

In the 21st Century in India as well as in the western countries an affinity toward materialistic activities and glorify humanity over and above Divinity are noticed everywhere. We have to keep it in our mind that there is a Divinity in the form of humanity. In this context ethical values and morality come to our discussion. Actually in this second decade of 21st century we are also facing the problems of indetermination, inquietude and moral crisis. But man has the potency to create his values (Sreya) which reveals him as Truth, Good, and Beauty (Satyam Shivam Sundaram) which is called transcendental unity of Consciousness by Kant. Creative man or the man in surplus (Udbritya) and the man with ethical values always makes a harmony among all diversity and plurality with the help of his inner creative power and overcome all kinds of narrowness and selfishness within him. In this paper an effort will be made to show that humanity and moral values are the two sides of the same coin, because in absence of one the other will not only be incomplete but imperfect. So the Summum Bonum or ultimate goal of Indian philosophy (except Charvaka) is the stage of Immorality and it is the conception of Moksha, or liberation. If any single conception which can be taken to distinguish Indian philosophy from the western, it is the conception of Moksa, the highest value which is translated in English as Liberation. The concept of four-fold Values will be discussed in this context and will be shown how the Moksha, the highest value of human aspiration may help a man to become a good human being.