Ethics vs Morals
Ethics Morals
| What are they? | The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc. It defines how thing are according to the rules. | Principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct.It defines how things should work according to an individuals' ideals and principles. |
| Where do they come from? | Social system - External | Individual - Internal |
| Why we do it? | Because society says it is the right thing to do. | Because we believe in something being right or wrong. |
| What if we don't do it? | We may face peer/societal disapproval, or even be fired from our job. | Doing something against one's morals and principles can have different effects on different people, they may feel uncomfortable, remorse, depressed etc. |
| Flexibility | Ethics are dependent on others for definition. They tend to be consistent within a certain context, but can vary between contexts. | Usually consistent, although can change if an individual’s beliefs change. |
| The "Gray" | A person strictly following Ethical Principles may not have any Morals at all. Likewise, one could violate Ethical Principles within a given system of rules in order to maintain Moral integrity. | A Moral Person although perhaps bound by a higher covenant, may choose to follow a code of ethics as it would apply to a system. "Make it fit" |
| Origin | Greek word"ethos" meaning"character" | Latin word"mos" meaning "custom" |
| Acceptability | Ethics are governed by professional and legal guidelines within a particular time and place | Morality transcends cultural norms |
