Ethics | Morals | |
What are they? | The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture. | Principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct. While morals also prescribe dos and don'ts, morality is ultimately a personal compass of right and wrong. |
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. |
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 |
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