Is there a difference between ethics and morality?

Answer 1

Ethics is one of the 5 branches of philosophy. It covers the analysis and employment of concepts such as right, wrong, good, evil, and responsibility. The field of ethics, also called moral philosophy, involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.

Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject areas: metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Metaethics investigates where our ethical principles come from, and what they mean. Normative ethics takes on a more practical task, which is to arrive at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. Finally, applied ethics involves examining specific controversial issues, such as abortion, infanticide, animal rights, environmental concerns, homosexuality, capital punishment, or nuclear war.

Morality refers to the concept of human ethics which pertains to matters of good and evil —also referred to as "right or wrong", used within three contexts: individual conscience; systems of principles and judgments — sometimes called moral values —shared within a cultural, religious, secular, Humanist, or philosophical community; and codes of behavior or conduct.

Personal morality defines and distinguishes among right and wrong intentions, motivations or actions, as these have been learned, engendered, or otherwise developed within each individual.

Answer 2

Ethics is the study and analysis of concepts like right, wrong, good, evil, and necessity.

Morality is the system of behavior derived from ethical principles and/or value systems.

Value systems, which are often part of religious dogma, are why moralism often has an religious basis, but ethics do not. This is why, even though a code of morality can be free of religious dogma, I prefer to concentrate on ethical behaviour.

Answer 3

Yes an ethical person nows the difference between right and wrong a moral person chooses to do the right.

Answer 4

Ethics is the working of concepts like right or wrong.

Morality has more to do with the conscience.

You can do the wrong things but not have the morality to think it is wrong, or your morality make think it is ok.

Kind of a catch 22 depending on psychological state of mind.

Answer 5

Morality is based on a fixed code of acceptable conduct. Ethics are a set of principles that allow one to reason out the best course of action.

Answer 6

Yeah i think so, cause if you think about it....there are things like "business ethics" but there isn't anything on "business morality" i think they're related or similar....but not the same. I think ethics is more of a social idea, whereas morals is more of a religious idea.

Answer 7

No.

I used to believe that 'morality' was the question of "good and evil" and 'ethics' was the question of 'right and wrong'.

My Ethics & Society professor showed me that the two words are in fact synonmous and what I was calling morality is virtue ethics and that what I was calling ethics was the rest of the field of ethical philosophy.

Answer 8

They're pretty much the same, but it depends on the context. Everybody's set of morals are different, and morality varies from person to person. Ethics is generally widely accepted among society, and to stray from that would be 'unethical.'

Answer 9

In today's world, the words are dependent upon whose definition you choose to follow. To be ethical or moral is about the same thing in modern language. For my part, I like to say that ethics is man's definition of right and wrong behavior while morality is God's definition of right and wrong behavior. Morality is eternal while ethics is transitory inasmuch as man's wisdom and philosophy is temporary while God's words are permanent.
The greater question then becomes how do you find the moral code instead of the philosophy of men. Where is the eternal truth to be found. You must follow the prophets and apostles who have been authorized by Christ to guide us in mortality. You can do that by receiving your own personal revelation from God by asking in faith and humility to know the truth.
To shorten your search, I suggest that you start with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Answer 10

Ethics can be understood as the philosophical study of morality, which is concerned with our beliefs and judgments regarding right and wrong motives, atttitudes, character and conduct