Difference Between Ethics and Morals

Main Difference -Ethics vs Morals

Morals are principles on which one’s judgments of right and wrong are based. Ethics are guiding principles of conduct of an individual or group. The main difference between ethics and morals is that ethics are relatively uniform whereas morals are heavily influenced by culture and religion.

What are Morals

Morals are principles on which one’s judgments of right and wrong are based. They are also social, cultural, or religious beliefs or values about right or wrong. That is to say, morals are highly influenced by external factors like religion and culture.

Since morals are based on culture or religion, they differ according to different cultures and religions. There are no such thing as universal morals; what is considered right in one religion may be considered as wrong in another religion. For example, eating meat is considered to be immoral in some cultures, but in some other cultures, it is perfectly acceptable.

Morals are principles which help us to decide between right and wrong, and good and bad.

Some common examples of morally unacceptable behavior include practices like adultery, lying, and littering. But none of these acts are illegal or punishable by law. Thus, immoral doesn’t necessary mean illegal.

What are Ethics

Ethics are guiding principles of conduct of an individual or group. They are the standards which govern the life of a person. Ethics are more related to professional life. They are codified into a set of rules or formal system and are adopted by people in different fields. Examples of such ethics include legal ethics and medical ethics. Ethics are unwritten laws; therefore, a breach of ethics is not punishable by law. Some common examples of ethics include loyalty, integrity, honesty, and punctuality. Disclosing a client’s information without permission, always being late to work, giving wrong information to a client, etc. are some examples of breach of work ethics.