When we talk about ethics and morality, we usually use both terms as synonyms, but in reality these words do not mean exactly the same thing. There is a quite important difference between ethics and morality and you should know what it is when you use either of these two terms.
Of course you can use both terms as synonyms. Most people do, and it’s not entirely wrong as long as they are used in casual conversation. If you are in an academic and more specialized environment, you will have to be a little more careful when using these words since the difference between ethics and morals is important.
Most commonly, we have all learned what these terms mean during our studies at school and institute. This is something quite normal since there are some specific subjects that analyze both concepts. However, the most common thing is that with the passage of time we forget what we already knew. This is much more common than it may seem at first. Since they are words that we do not use very often, we tend to forget the connotations and nuances that characterized them and it is precisely in these connotations that the difference between ethics and morality is found.
Throughout this article we will explain the definitions of ethics and morality and we will also present the difference between ethics and morality in a very simple way so that it can be quickly understood by all people. If you are interested in knowing the difference between ethics and morality, pay close attention to what comes next.
What do you need
- Pay attention to the connotations and nuances of both words
Instructions
- Definition of ethics: ethics is the word that refers to the rules of conduct that exist in certain societies.
- Definition of morality: morality refers to the personal standards of conduct of each individual.
- Use of both words as synonyms: as you have seen the definitions of these words are similar. Both refer to the rules of behavior of people. In this way, a person is influenced by his morals and his own standards of action and by the ethics of the society in which he lives. Each individual is part of the society in which he lives. This can cause each person’s morality to be influenced by her ethics. It is totally normal and explains, in part, why most people use these terms as synonyms.
- The difference: although both terms can be used as synonyms, they do not mean the same thing. Morality is a framework of personal conduct in which each individual decides what is right and wrong. However, ethics are a set of rules that define what a society accepts or not: the behavior that is expected of the people who live in that community.
- A summary: to try to summarize the difference between both concepts we could say that ethics are those correct or incorrect behaviors that a society has built. On the other hand, morality are the rules that allow us to make the decision of whether or not their behavior is correct.
- An example: so that you better understand the difference between ethics and morality, we are going to give a very clear and visual example. While a society may determine that it is ethical to eat animal meat, a person belonging to that same society may decide not to consume animal meat as it is considered wrong behavior.
Tips
- If you can’t remember the difference between ethics and morals, there is a trick that can help you. Try to remember that ethics is a product of society, a set of norms. However, morality is something specific to the individual and helps us judge the right or wrong of our behaviors and decisions.
- If you want some tips to take care of your morale, we recommend that you read this article on 12 ways to live better
- This article describes the basic differences that will allow you to distinguish ethics from morality. However, you should know that at a philosophical and humanistic level there are still many other differences that imply other connotations and nuances of both terms.