Ethics and morality are concerned with “good” and “wrong” behaviour. Although they are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same: Ethics refers to regulations established by an outside source, such as workplace codes of behaviour or religious values. Morals are a person’s own beliefs about what is good and wrong.
Ethics | Morality |
The term ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos. The definition of ethos is a personality. | Morals is derived from the Latin word Mos. Mos is a word that means “custom.” |
Ethics is governed by legal norms and professional rules. The acceptability of ethics is limited to a specific location and time frame. | When it comes to the acceptability of Morality, it goes beyond the cultural standards. |
Ethics are influenced by the viewpoints of others. | Morality is viewed through the eyes of a single person. |
If the circumstances are different, the ethics may alter as well, indicating that ethics may be flexible. | Morality evolves in response to changes in an individual’s views. |
Ethics are upheld because society has determined that it is the best course of action. | Morality is followed because it is seen to be the best path of conduct. |
A person who follows ethical principles does not have to have strong moral beliefs; in fact, it’s possible that he doesn’t have any morals at all. | There may be times when a moral person’s moral ideals are broken in order to sustain his moral values. |
Ethics is frequently connected with fields such as law, medicine, and business. The term “ethics” has no religious meaning. | Morality has a religious connection |
The work of a defence attorney is an example of ethics colliding with morality in the workplace. A lawyer’s principles may tell her that murder is wrong and that murderers should be punished, but her professional ethics oblige her to defend her client to the best of her ability, even if she knows the client is guilty.
Another example is in the realm of medicine. According to ethical norms for health practitioners in most areas of the globe, a doctor may not euthanize a patient, even if the patient requests it. However, a doctor’s own morality may lead him or her to believe in a patient’s right to death.
In basic terms, the law is a system of universally acknowledged rules and regulations imposed by an appropriate authority, such as the government, which might be regional, national, or international. It is used to regulate the members’ actions and conduct, and it can be enforced by applying fines.
The terms law and ethics are sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a distinction: ethics are the principles that guide a person or community in determining what is good or bad, right or wrong, in a particular scenario. It uses moral norms and principles to govern a person’s behaviour or conduct and assist them in living a decent life.
BASIS FOR COMPARISON | LAW | ETHICS |
Meaning | The law refers to a systematic body of rules that governs the whole society and the actions of its individual members. | Ethics is a branch of moral philosophy that guides people about the basic human conduct. |
What is it? | Set of rules and regulations | Set of guidelines |
Governed By | Government | Individual, Legal and Professional norms |
Expression | Expressed and published in writing. | They are abstract. |
Violation | Violation of law is not permissible which may result in punishment like imprisonment or fine or both. | There is no punishment for violation of ethics. |
Objective | Law is created with an intent to maintain social order and peace in the society and provide protection to all the citizens. | Ethics are made to help people to decide what is right or wrong and how to act. |
Binding | Law has a legal binding. | Ethics do not have a binding nature. |
True, if a society was ethical, there would be no need for laws to function as external checks. However, this is a hypothetical situation. Laws and ethics each have a distinct role to play. Both are equally vital and complement each other.
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