Or “ethical” vs “moral”

  • danhakimi@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    Originally, ethics were supposed to be a field of philosophy dealing with right and wrong on an individual scale, like virtue ethics, and morals, on a social scale, see “social mores.” Over time, that distinction disappeared, and in some cases got flipped—see, an “ethics committee.” So don’t sweat it, they’re interchangeable, and everybody here is just talking about the connotations they’ve picked up in different contexts.

    • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Either you’ve got it backwards or those definitions have effectively flipped. Ethics is the study of what a society finds acceptable - while morals are an internal measure. That is why we consider our own moral compass when making a decision that we know wouldn’t be judged by society at large and why we debate the ethics of laws - I.e. is the death penalty an ethical punishment.

      • kadu@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        No, they’re correct. Ethics is a branch of philosophy, concerned with defining right or desirable behavior using the same rational foundations as philosophy as a whole.

        Morality tries to answer the same questions, but it’s based on societal customs, inherited beliefs, religion, and similar.