Ethics

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Is Morality the Same as Ethics

  • Morality comes from 'mos' in Greek, meaning customs.
  • Ethicos comes from Greek for 'character'
  • Morals don't have to be ethical, and ethics don't have to be moral. [1]. This article seems to have it in reverse.
  • The etymology of the 2 words seem to be a better guide for the subtlety.
  • The key is - what is more objective? Should the more objective viewpoint be favored? So let's go deeper.

What is Right and Wrong

There are various theories on the topic, which one would guess would be more relevant depending on the situation:

Moral Objectivism

  • Teleological. One example is Utilitarianism - that which produces most happiness overall [2]
  • Deontological - Categorical Imperative - it matters what kind of act something is. If it can be claimed as a universal truth, then it is good. This assessment appears to have a fundamental flaw - as many things could depend on the situation - or could not be interpreted correctly - based on principles of General Semantics.

Moral Relavism

Comes in 2 forms - subjectivism and conventionalism.

Is Morality Objective

  • Psychology Today on the topic - [3]