Monday, November 4, 2019
Ethics v. Morals
In class the past few days, we've gone over the difference between ethics and morals. Ethics are the idea that something is "right" or "wrong" based on an external source, like a job or an activity. For example, lawyers have an obligation to defend their clients to the best of their abilities, regardless of whether or not they were in the wrong. On the other hand, morals are the idea that something is right or wrong based on internal ideologies. In the same example, a lawyer defending someone that they know is guilty may violate their morals, but the ethics of law makes it okay for that lawyer to do so. In the end, I see ethics as more of a justification for someone's wrongdoings when it violates their morals in the process. It's easier to live with yourself violating your morals when you have the excuse that you had no choice because you were put in a certain situation. A lawyer who won defending someone they knew was guilty could eat at them for the rest of their life. However, if they pass it off as something they needed to do for their job, therefore making it ethically acceptable, they would be more able to move past it. I personally believe that it's more important to live your life based on your morals than the ethics surrounding a certain situation. Ethics can be changed based on other's personal opinions, but morals hold true to an individual's personal values and beliefs. What do you think should be the guiding principle - ethics or morals?
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Nice post! I think this would be really interesting if we connected these ideas about morals and ethics to the ideas our class developed while talking about power and Machiavelli at the beginning of the year. Would you think that Machiavellian people are more focused on sticking to their ethics rather than their morals?
ReplyDeleteYou bring up an interesting point about the validity and good-will of ethics. I do agree that there are cases where ethics are merely an excuse for not following through on one's moral principles. However, I also think that we can't overlook the importance of ethics in creating a concrete moral code for society as a whole. If there were no ethical principles whatsoever, then everyone would always be at odds over their personal moral principles – everyone would have a slightly different understanding of right and wrong based on their personal values and motivations. Also, there are situations where ethics can have a positive impact by preventing biased moral behavior. For example, a doctor might not want to treat a certain patient due to prejudices against the patient or a disagreement with their decision, but medical ethics would obligate the doctor to properly treat the patient regardless. There are definitely scenarios, as you pointed out, where ethics are problematic in the sense that they can justify immoral behavior. However, I feel it is important not to disregard the potential for ethics to prevent people from following misguided or conflicting morals that might cause harm to others.
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