Difference Between Morals and Ethics

Last updated on July 26, 2018 by Surbhi S

We
greatly encounter moral and ethical issues, in our day to day life. Perhaps, these two
defines a personality, attitude, and behavior of a person. The word Morals is derived from a
Greek word “Mos” which means custom. On the other hand, if we talk about Ethics, it is
also derived from a Greek word “Ethikos” which means character. Put simply, morals are
the customs established by group of individuals whereas ethics defines the character of an
individual.

While morals are concerned with principles of right and wrong, ethics are related to right
and wrong conduct of an individual in a particular sitution. Many use the two terms as
synonyms, but there are slight and subtle differences between morals and ethis, which are
described in the article below.

Content: Morals Vs Ethics

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Examples
5. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR
MORALS ETHICS
COMPARISON

Meaning Morals are the beliefs of Ethics are the guiding

the individual or group principles which help the
 BASIS FOR
MORALS ETHICS
COMPARISON

as to what is right or individual or group to decide

wrong. what is good or bad.

What is it? General principles set by Response to a specific

group situation

Root word Mos which means Ethikos which means character

custom

Governed By Social and cultural Individual or Legal and

norms Professional norms

Deals with Principles of right and Right and wrong conduct

wrong

Applicability in No Yes
Business

Consistency Morals may differ from Ethics are generally uniform.

society to society and
culture to culture.

Expression Morals are expressed in Ethics are abstract.

the form of general rules
and statements.

Freedom to think No Yes

and choose

Definition of Morals

Morals are the social, cultural and religious beliefs or values of an individual or group which
tells us what is right or wrong. They are the rules and standards made by the society or
culture which is to be followed by us while deciding what is right. Some moral principles are:
  Do not cheat
 Be loyal
 Be patient
 Always tell the truth
 Be generous

Morals refer to the beliefs what is not objectively right, but what is considered right for any
situation, so it can be said that what is morally correct may not be objectively correct.

Definition of Ethics

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of conduct of an individual or
group. It works as a guiding principle as to decide what is good or bad. They are the
standards which govern the life of a person. Ethics is also known as moral philosophy.
Some ethical principles are:

 Truthfulness
 Honesty
 Loyalty
 Respect
 Fairness
 Integrity

Key Differences Between Morals and Ethics

The major differences between Morals and Ethics are as under:

1. Morals deal with what is ‘right or wrong’. Ethics deals with what is ‘good or evil’.
2. Morals are general guidelines framed by the society E.g. We should speak truth.
Conversely, ethics are a response to a particular situation, E.g. Is it ethical to state
the truth in a particular situation?
3. The term morals is derived from a Greek word ‘mos’ which refers to custom and the
customs are determined by group of individuals or some authority. On the other
hand, ethics is originated from Greek word ‘ethikos’ which refers to character and
character is an attribute.
4. Morals are dictated by society, culture or religion while Ethics are chosen by the
person himself which governs his life.
5. Morals  are concerned with principles of right and wrong. On the contrary, ethics
stresses on right and wrong conduct.
6. As morals are framed and designed by the group, there is no option to think and
choose; the individual can either accept or reject. Conversely, the people are free to
think and choose the principles of his life in ethics.
7. Morals may vary from society to society and culture to culture. As opposed to Ethics,
which remains same regardless of any culture, religion or society.
8. Morals do not have any applicability to business, whereas Ethics is widely applicable
in the business known as business ethics.
 9. Morals are expressed in the form of statements, but Ethics are not expressed in the
form of statements.

Examples

 If the son of a big politician has committed a crime and he uses his powers to free
his son from legal consequences. Then this act is immoral because the politician is
trying to save a culprit.
 A very close friend or relative of an interviewer comes for an interview and without
asking a single question, he selects him. This act is unethical because the selection
process must be transparent and unbiased.
 A grocer sells adulterated products to his customers to earn more profit. This act is
neither moral nor ethical because he is cheating his customers and profession at the
same time.

Conclusion

Every single individual has some principles which help him throughout his life to cope up
with any adverse situation; they are known as ethics. On the other hand, Morals are not the
hard and fast rules or very rigid, but they are the rules which a majority of people
considered as right. That is why the people widely accept them. This is all for differentiating
Morals from Ethics.

What's the Difference Between Ethics, Morals

and Values?
Have you ever deemed someone’s behavior to be unethical? Have you ever questioned their
moral code or the values upon which they base their decisions? When our minds wander to these
places, the terms ethics, morals and values tend to feel very similar, but they are not quite the
same. Keep reading for explanations and values, ethics and morals examples to learn how they
are different.
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Personal Values
Values are the foundation of an individual person’s ability to judge between right and wrong.
Values include a deep-rooted system of beliefs that guide a person’s decisions. They form a
personal, individual foundation that influences a particular person’s behavior.

Examples of Values

There are examples of values everywhere in your daily life. For example, if your value system is
founded upon honesty, you would probably choose to study for a difficult test rather than
cheating for a passing grade. However, if you value achievement and success over honesty, you
may decide to cheat on the exam instead. This relates to which value is “worth more” to the
individual.

Other examples of values include:

 a person who values integrity admits that they stole a piece of candy

 someone who values friendship drops everything to help a friend
 people who value a healthy lifestyle make sure they have time to work out in the
morning
 a person who values success works late nights to achieve a promotion
 someone who values commitment may be more willing to go to marriage therapy than to
file for divorce

These values form our personality types. They also help us make decisions that affect the course
of our lives. When these values are shared by others in our community, they are known as
morals.

Code of Morals
Morals, also known as moral values, are the system of beliefs that emerge out of core values.
Morals are specific and context-driven rules that govern a person’s desire to be good. They can
be shared by a larger population, but a person's moral code may differ from others' depending on
their personal values.

Examples of Morals

We make moral decisions based on personal values all the time. An example of a moral in the
example above is determined by a person's value of honesty: cheating is bad. Someone who
values success more than honesty may behave by another moral: cheating is fine.

Additional examples of morals include:

  It is bad to steal candy (based on a value of honesty).
 Helping a friend is a good thing to do (based on a value of friendship).
 It is bad to skip a workout (based on a value of a healthy lifestyle).
 Working late at night is a good thing to do (based on a value of success).
 Saving your marriage is a good way to move forward (based on a value of commitment).

Moral dilemmas occur when morals conflict with each other. For example, what if a daughter
couldn’t afford the life-saving medicine her dying mother needed, but she had access to the
medicine storeroom?

Her core values might tell her stealing is wrong. However, her morality would tell her she needs
to protect her mother. As such, the daughter might end up doing the wrong thing (stealing, as
judged by her values) for the right reasons (saving her mother, as judged by her morals).

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Morals vs. Ethics

Ethics and morals are very similar. In fact, many ethicists consider the terms to be
interchangeable. However, there are slight differences in how they affect our lives.

While morals are concerned with individuals feeling "good" or "bad," ethics determine what
behaviors are "right" or "wrong." Ethics dictate what practical behaviors are allowed, while
morals reflect our intentions. Consider morals as the rulebook and ethics as the motivator that
leads to proper or improper action.

Examples of Ethics

You're most likely to see a code of ethics in the business or legal fields. These areas are much
more black and white than personal values or morals since they set rules for employees and
citizens in a society. For example:

 Doctors are held to a strict code of ethics when they swear the Hippocratic Oath. They
are bound to the rule "do no harm," and can be held accountable if they do cause harm to
their patients.
 An organization like PETA, which stands for “People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals," pursues legal action against those who do not treat animals in an ethical way.
 Employees often sign a code of ethics, which includes keeping important matters
confidential and not stealing from the workplace — both of which would be fireable
offenses.
 Defense lawyers are ethically bound to defend their clients to the best of their ability,
even if they are morally opposed to their clients' crimes. Breaking this ethical code could
result in a mistrial or disbarment.
 A student who helps another student cheat on a test is breaking their school's ethics. Even
though they are doing it for a moral reason (helping a friend), they are committing an
ethical violation and can be punished.
Ethics are basically an institution's attempt to regulate behavior with rules based on a shared
moral code. Violating ethics has the same consequence as breaking a rule, while violating one's
morals results in personal guilt and shame instead of a societal consequence. Ethical
dilemmas occur when an institutional set of ethics conflicts with one's personal moral code.

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Sound Moral Judgment

Sound moral judgment is rooted in strong values and acted upon by our ethics. It seems like the
three are the same, but they’re different enough to warrant a closer study. Whether you're acting
on your personal values, following your moral code or obeying ethical rules, it's important to
know what to do next. For more examples of morals in our lives, check out these examples of
morals in society and literature.

Difference Between Ethics and Morals

June 2, 2016
by Hasa
2 min read
18

Main Difference -Ethics vs Morals

Morals are principles on which one’s judgments of right and wrong are based. Ethics are guiding principles of
conduct of an individual or group. The main difference between ethics and morals is that ethics are relatively
uniform whereas morals are heavily influenced by culture and religion.
What are Morals
Morals are principles on which one’s judgments of right and wrong are based. They are also social, cultural, or
religious beliefs or values about right or wrong. That is to say, morals are highly influenced by external factors like
religion and culture.

Since morals are based on culture or religion, they differ according to different cultures and religions. There are no
such thing as universal morals; what is considered right in one religion may be considered as wrong in another
religion. For example, eating meat is considered to be immoral in some cultures, but in some other cultures, it is
perfectly acceptable.
 Morals are principles which help us to decide between right and wrong, and good and bad.

Some common examples of morally unacceptable behavior include practices like adultery, lying, and littering. But
none of these acts are illegal or punishable by law. Thus, immoral doesn’t necessary mean illegal.

What are Ethics

Ethics are guiding principles of conduct of an individual or group. They are the standards which govern the life of a
person. Ethics are more related to professional life. They are codified into a set of rules or formal system and  are
adopted by people in different fields. Examples of such ethics include legal ethics and medical ethics. Ethics are
unwritten laws; therefore, a breach of ethics is not punishable by law. Some common examples of ethics include
loyalty, integrity, honesty, and punctuality. Disclosing a client’s information without permission, always being late
to work, giving wrong information to a client, etc. are some examples of breach of work ethics.
Difference Between Ethics and Morals
Definition
Ethics are guiding principles of conduct of an individual or group.
Morals are principles on which one’s judgments of right and wrong are based.
Influence
Ethics are influenced by profession, field, organization, etc.
Morals are influenced by society, culture and religion.
Profession
Ethics are related to professional work.
Morals are not related to professional work.
Variations
Ethics are often uniform compared to morals.
Morals vary according to different cultures and religions.
 

Image Courtesy:
“Image 1” (Public Domain) Pixbaby
“Image 2” By Orietta.sberla – Own work, (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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18
About the Author: Hasa
Hasa has a BA degree in English, French and Translation studies. She is currently reading for a Masters degree in
English. Her areas of interests include literature, language, linguistics and also food.

The Difference Between Ethics and

Morality
R.C. Sproul
3 Min Read

In our vocabulary, you’ll find that most people use the

words, ethics and morality interchangeably, as if they were synonyms. But historically, that’s
not been the case.

The English word “ethic” or “ethics” comes from the Greek word ethos. The word “morals” or
“morality” comes from the word mores. The difference is that the ethos of a society or
culture deals with its foundational philosophy, its concept of values, and its system of
understanding how the world fits together. There is a philosophical value system that is
the etho of every culture in the world. On the other hand, mores has to do with the customs,
habits, and normal forms of behavior that are found within a given culture.

In the first instance, ethics is called a normative science; it’s the study of norms or
standards by which things are measured or evaluated. Morality, on the other hand, is what
we would call a descriptive science. A descriptive science is a method to describe the way
things operate or behave. Ethics are concerned with the imperative and morality is
concerned with the indicative. What do we mean by that? It means that ethics is concerned
with “ought-ness,“ and morality is concerned with “is-ness.”

Ethics, or ethos, is normative and imperative. It deals with what someone ought to do.
Morality describes what someone is actually doing. That’s a significant difference,
particularly as we understand it in light of our Christian faith, and also in light of the fact that
the two concepts are confused, merged, and blended in our contemporary understanding.

What has come out of the confusion of ethics and morality is the emergence of what I call
“statistical morality.” This is where the normal or regular becomes the normative. Here’s
how it works: to find out what is normal, we do a statistical survey, we take a poll, or we find
out what people are actually doing. For example, suppose we find out that a majority of
teenagers are using marijuana. We then come to the conclusion that at this point in history,
it is normal for an adolescent in the American culture to indulge in the use of marijuana. If it
is normal, we deem it to be good and right.

Ultimately, the science of ethics is concerned with what is right, and morality is concerned
with what is accepted. In most societies, when something is accepted, it is judged to be
right. But oftentimes, this provokes a crisis for the Christian. When the normal becomes the
normative, when what is determines what ought to be, we may as Christians find ourselves
swimming hard against the cultural current.

The Christian concept of ethics is on a collision course with much of what is being
expressed as morality. This is because we do not determine right or wrong based on what
everybody else is doing. For example, if we study the statistics, we will see that all men at
one time or another lie. That doesn’t mean that all men lie all the time, but that all men have
indulged in lying at some time or another. If we look at that statistically, we would say that
one hundred percent of people indulge in dishonesty, and since it’s one hundred percent
universal, we should come to the conclusion that it’s perfectly normal for human beings to
tell lies. Not only normal, but perfectly human. If we want to be fully human, we should
encourage ourselves in the direction of lying. Of course, that’s what we call a reductio ad
absurdum argument, where we take something to its logical conclusion and show the folly
of it. But that’s not what usually occurs in our culture. Such obvious problems in developing
a statistical morality are often overlooked. The Bible says that we lean toward lying, and yet
we are called to a higher standard. As Christians, the character of God supplies our
ultimate ethos or ethic, the ultimate framework by which we discern what is right, good, and
pleasing to Him.
The major difference between Ethics and Morality are:

Ethics Morality

The word Ethics originated from the Greek word ethos. The word Morals originated from the Latin
The meaning of ethos is a character word Mos. The meaning of Mos is
custom.

Legal guidelines and professional rules govern ethics. When it comes to the acceptability of
The acceptability of ethics is confined within a particular Morality it transcends the norms laid
space and time frame. down by culture.

Ethics are dependent on the prism of others. Morality is seen from the perspective of
an individual.

If the contexts are different then the ethics could be Change in Morality depends on the
different, hence there is some degree of flexibility in change in the beliefs of an individual.
ethics.

Ethics are followed because society has decided that it is Morality is followed because a person
the right course of action believes that it is the right course of
action.
 A person who follows the ethical principles need not There could be situations where ethics
necessarily have strong moral values, in fact, there are are violated by a moral person to
even possibilities that he may not have any morals.  maintain to uphold his moral values.

Ethics is something usually associated in the field of law, Morality has a religious connotation
medicine or business. Ethics does not have a religious
connotation.

These are the main differences between Ethics and Morality. The differences given in the above table can help the
UPSC Civil Service Exam aspirants to answer questions on topics related to Ethics Vs Morality.
Get more Difference between Articles – Complete List (History, Geography, Polity, and More) useful for the
examination in the linked article.
After learning about the Ethics and Morality difference, it is better to know the details of Ethics – Moral attitude,
mental health, and also learn facts on Ethics – Awareness of Responsibility thoroughly. Also learn the strategy for
handling the General Studies Paper IV for the Mains exam, which deals with Ethics and Integrity. Apart from the
strategy, aspirants are also advised to have a firm grip over the Syllabus and Structure of UPSC Mains General
Studies Paper IV. Visit the below-given links to learn about Ethics – Moral Attitude, Mental Health; Ethics –
Awareness of Responsibility, Syllabus and Structure of General Studies Paper IV, and the strategy for handling GS
Paper IV which deals with subjects of Ethics and Integrity.

 Ethics – Moral Attitude, Mental Health 

 Ethics – Awareness of Responsibility
 UPSC Mains General Studies Paper IV – Syllabus and Structure
 Strategy for Mains: General Studies Paper IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude)