Differences between ethics and morals

For many, ethics and morality are synonyms. In fact, an article in the magazine Inmanencia indicates that philosophy has an extensive tradition that links these concepts starting from specific definitions. However, these differ in some aspects.

Throughout history, several philosophers have reflected on these questions, but it was after the emergence of positivism that these branches of philosophy began to separate.

This situation brought with it new interpretations of the differences between ethics and morality, which also allowed the formulation of new theories that were associated with the topic. He knows several of the postulates made in this regard through this reading.

Etymological origins

The etymological origin of the word ethics is the Greek word ethos, which means character or custom. For this reason, it is usually considered a synonym for the word moral, since it comes from Latin. mores, which also means custom. However, differences begin to appear when we delve deeper into their definitions.

Ethics includes the description of human behaviors. That is, the reason for our actions. On the other hand, Morality involves in its definition the norms of action. To understand this in more detail, let’s delve into these concepts.

Differences between the definitions of ethics and morals

Ethics is a philosophical reflection. That is, it is an object of philosophical thought. What does this mean? It means that is about rationally understand the actions and norms that govern a given culture.

Instead, Morality encompasses a set of norms accepted in society. These norms seek to harmonize the coexistence of a given society. According to this, Morality is practical because it has to do with concrete actions that individuals perform in society. Therefore, it is part of the lives of individuals.

Interiority on one hand, exteriority on the other

Ethics has the particularity of addressing the inside of people according to his way of being. In this sense, we can say that human beings create themselves from their own conceptions thought through social morality.

However, as we mentioned in advance, this corresponds to a philosophical reflection and, therefore, there is a creation of concepts that aspire to universality. An example of this is the ethics of Immanuel Kant, which we will discuss later.

Morality, on the other hand, have a social and not individual character. Thus, can set norms valid for the entire community. Their objective is that they can be applied on a daily basis. Thus, it can also be said that another difference between ethics and morality is that the former is more a reflection of reason than a concrete practice.

Ethical theories

In a publication of the Australasian Accounting Business and Finance Journal There is a difference between acceptable and unacceptable ethics. The first are those called teleological. These consider that The moral value of an action lies in the consequences of it.

Consequently, to say that something is right or wrong, we must pay attention to the results. An example of teleological ethics can be utilitarianism.

On the other hand, unacceptable ethics are those called relativistic and consist of what is correct is determined by context or culture. They are considered that way because social morality, governed by subjectivity, can lead to chaos.

Therefore, a deontological ethics, like Kant’s, supports moral duty and obligations. So, a morally correct action is executed by reason and universally determined. This, in practice, indicates that we must think about whether what we do can be a valid action for all people.

Common Morality

This type of morality is based on the normative beliefs and behaviors of a society are agreed upon among its members. For this reason, common morality is considered to provide its inhabitants with stability, something like a frame of reference for their actions.

Resolution vs. worth

In the book Nursing ethics (2022) establishes another of the differences that exist between ethics and morality. According to its authors, Morality is decisive and ethics is evaluative..

In that sense, morality is decisive because it implies the using thinking to respond and solve problems. Likewise, it formulates action strategies. Given these characteristics, moral rules are not accepted without a prior examination of reason.

In the case of ethics, it is evaluative because establishes value judgments in relation to previous beliefs about what is good or what is desirable.

Final considerations

In summary, Ethics and morality are concepts that are related, but they are different. Its main difference is that ethics is considered a philosophical reflection on morality and, on the other hand, morality includes the rules and norms that a community agrees on and shares to live in harmony.

Understanding these differences not only allows us to have broader knowledge about the subject, but also helps us understand the way in which these concepts affect our life in society.

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