Emeritus Professor - Theology. Terry Lovat does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Certain customs or behaviours are recognised as good and others as bad , and these collectively comprise morality — arguably the summation of our value system as human beings. So a conversation about ethical and moral decision-making is important.
The words derive respectively from the word in Greek ethos, ethikos and Latin mores, moralis , variously translated as customs, manners or social norms. In fact, however, it is possible to differentiate the Greek root of ethics from the Latin root of morality in a way that may be practically helpful.
Put another way, ethics is a more individual assessment of values as relatively good or bad, while morality is a more intersubjective community assessment of what is good, right or just for all. In approaching such a question, the individual ethical answer can be limited by its essential egotism.
Table of Contents. What Is Morality? What Is Ethics? Are These Terms Relative? Morality Morality is a person or society's idea of what is right or wrong, especially in regard to a person's behavior. Ethics The big difference when it comes to ethics is that it refers to community values more than personal values.
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What Is Online Therapy? What Is Ethical Non-Monogamy? Levels of Developing Morality in Kohlberg's Theories. What Is White Fragility? For example, psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg studied moral development in boys from different cultures. In the contemporary world, moral principles still play an important role. They are considered guidelines for living life successfully. For example, honesty is considered a moral principle because it keeps relationships strong.
There are two types of moral principles: absolute and relative. Moral absolutism is an ethical view that certain actions are intrinsically right or wrong. Moral relativism believes there are no absolute rules to what is right or wrong, and that moral principles can change depending on the situation. Absolute moral principles are based on universal truths about the nature of human beings. For example, murder is wrong because it goes against the natural order of things.
These are also sometimes called normative moral principles, or those that are generally accepted by society. Below are some examples of absolute moral principles:. Relative moral principles are based on opinions and circumstances that may change over time or from person to person or for different situations. Relative moral principles depend on a person's beliefs.
Relativism to what people perceive as good or bad in relation to themselves. In other words, when someone says something is good, in most cases they are really saying it is good for them, or perhaps it contributes to their well-being. Below are some examples of relative moral principles. Many people strive to live by the moral principles they believe in. But, it can be difficult to follow them all of the time, which is what makes following one's own personal moral values even more valuable.
There are many ways that a person might adhere to their moral principles: through thoughts and feelings, actions, or words. Below are some examples. Moral principles are important for society because they help people learn how to get along and live well with each other. They teach us that all human beings deserve the same rights, which is why it's not okay to discriminate against someone based on their ethnicity or race.
People who follow moral principles also tend to have a better quality of life than those who don't. Moral principles can also impact an individual's identity and sense of self-worth.
In contrast to the universal and constant nature of principles, values are internal, subjective, and flexible beliefs that people hold regarding ideas or issues. Let us take the example of a clothing company where honesty is a principle that management upholds due to its universal correctness while being fashionable and trendy are values that management upholds due to their relevance to their specific line of business i.
We notice that the values of being fashionable and trendy actually add value to the clothing line of business and thus, justifies their presence. In the case where the company was to change its operations to say, corporate accounting, they are likely to continue to uphold honesty as a principle but drop fashionable and trendy as values as they no longer serve the purpose of the company. Principles being the most prevailing and constant enjoy the most momentum, they are the seeds from which all other notions grow.
Ethical codes of conduct disseminated by universities, for example, are founded on principles of integrity and upholding the intellectual rights of others. If such ethical codes of conduct were not aligned with principles, chances are students and universities alike will resist them in due time.
We have seen numerous occasions where ethical standards in organizations were challenged due to their lack of alignment with widely accepted principles such as the inclusion of people of colour, gender equality, fair compensation, etc.
Virtue is a trait or quality that is considered morally good.
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