VALUES & ETHICS
ASSIGNMENT-1
NAME: AMAN MALAKAR
ID: 191001001138
BATCH: BCS-4B
SUBJECT: VALUES & ETHICS (CASD)
SESSION: 4th Year 8th Semester
The given passage narrates the story of an existential and humanistic
psychologist, named Viktor Frankl. We come to know that Viktor was a determinist
raised in the tradition of Freudian psychology, a psychiatrist and a Jew. He was one
of the very few people who survived the death camps of Nazi Germany during World
War II. His experience in the camps was horrific, and he lost most of his family
members, including his parents, brother, and wife. Except for his sister, his entire
family perished.
Despite being stripped of his freedom, Frankl discovered that he still had
control over his thoughts and actions. He realized that he had the power to choose
his response to the stimuli around him. This realization led him to develop a series of
mental and emotional disciplines that allowed him to exercise his freedom and
maintain his identity as a self-aware human being. Through these disciplines, Frankl
discovered a fundamental principle about the nature of man: that between stimulus
and response, man has the freedom to choose.
Frankl's story is a testament to the human spirit and the power of selfawareness. It shows that even in the most challenging circumstances, we still have
the power to choose our response. By exercising our freedom, we can overcome any
obstacle and fulfil our unique human potential.
The story is inspiring and thought-provoking, as it encourages us to reflect on
the power of our choices and the importance of our unique human endowments,
such as self-awareness, imagination, conscience, and independent will. It also
challenges us to rise above the deterministic paradigm and recognize the unlimited
potential of human beings. Overall, the story is a powerful reminder that we always
have the power to choose and determine our destiny, regardless of our
circumstances.
My main takeaways from this passage are the following:
1) The human capacity for self-awareness, imagination, conscience, and
independent will sets us apart from other animals and gives us the potential
for unlimited growth and development. This is a fundamental aspect of our
humanity that we should strive to cultivate and strengthen throughout our
lives.
2) Even in the most difficult and oppressive circumstances, we still have the
power to choose our response to the stimuli around us. This is a profound and
empowering realization that can help us find meaning and purpose in our
lives, even when we are facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
3) It is possible to use mental and emotional disciplines such as memory and
imagination to exercise and expand our freedom to choose. This suggests
that our capacity for growth and development is not fixed, but rather can be
actively cultivated through intentional effort.
4) The deterministic paradigm that characterizes many studies of animal
behaviour and human psychology does not fully capture the richness and
complexity of human experience. Our unique endowments as human beings
allow us to transcend our conditioning and exercise our freedom in ways that
animals cannot.
Overall, I find this story to be a powerful testament to the resilience and
potential of the human spirit. It underscores the importance of cultivating our unique
endowments as human beings and using them to exercise our freedom and choose
our own paths in life. Even in the face of tremendous adversity, we can find meaning,
dignity, and purpose by tapping into our inner resources and exercising our freedom
to choose.