Both deal with rightness & wrongness of human conduct. The literal meaning of both is same – habit /character /conduct since the word Morality is derived from ‘MORES’ meaning habit and the word Ethics is derived from ‘ETHICOS’ meaning habit.
Example:
He/She is moral – indicates character – right character
He/She is not moral – indicates character – wrong character
So, the term ‘Moral’ deals with rightness/quality of behavior which has the connotation of ‘rightness’ of behavior. Morality is based on individuals standards / values / principles of behaviour/ moral code of behavior. In nutshell, Morality is about rightness/ wrongness of human conduct based on individual standards of behavior.
For example: Some people like aggression/war. Everyone can have their own moral standards based on what they think is right/wrong. Also, an individual can have no moral standards since moral standards need to have the quality of ‘rightness’- ‘something good to society’. Therefore, it can be said that ethics is empty without morality.
Even if morality & ethics have the same literal meaning & they have connotations of ‘rightness’ in behavior still they have differences.
| MORALITY | ETHICS |
|---|---|
| Based on individual standards | Based on established standards/ universal standards |
| There is relativism in moral standards | There is absolutism in ethical standards |
| It is qualitative term about human behavior | Its a field of normative science/moral science that deals with moral conduct |
| An individual has to conform to one’s own standards for moral conduct | An individual has to confirm to ethical standards |
Even if they have differences, there is a complex relationship between Morality & Ethics that there can be three different types of relationship.
The relationship could be:
| Relationship | Values | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| • Moral plus Ethical: ‘C’ | • Selflessness • Integrity | • When personal values & professional values match. |
| • Moral but not Ethical: ‘A-C’ | • Selflessness • A particular cultural value | • Person may like war but it is unethical. • Person may consider gay couple living together as immoral but this view is not ethical. • A person may not recognise women rights but this view is not ethical. |
| • Ethical but not Moral: ‘B-C’ | • Some new values • Liberty • Human rights | • Advocates defending their clients. • Wartime killing by soldiers. • Police torture in custody • Doctor selective priority treatment to patients during Covid times. |
There are three possible permutations & combinations between morality & ethics which show that they are interrelated. Infact, ethics is also influenced by morality. Since its established standards are derived from society, it cannot be separated from moral standards. Infact, there cannot be two sets of people, one to adhere to moral standards & other to adhere to ethical standards. It is the morality of any society which determines the ethicality of that society. Since moral standards are individual standards, it’s presumed that they may not be of high standards as expected in case of ethical standards and if people don’t adhere to their moral standards, it’s difficult to expect that they will adhere to ethical standards.
Example: Basic situations require high standards from people. Abnormal situations like Corona times require even higher standards.
It is true that individual preference of person can be different from the ethical standards but morality should have some minimum standards. Anything cannot be moral standards and hence it also determines ethics in society. Also people cannot become cannibals in the name of individual preference or choice. People cannot adhere to ethical standards if they do not adhere to moral standards. That’s why it can be said that ethics is empty without morality in society. Moral standards of society are strong determinants of standards of ethics in practice.
For example: During Covid times, there was a manifestation of poor moral standards by people in general.
Note: Even if ethics and morality have differences but in general parlance- they are used interchangeably. For example: If one faces a moral or ethical dilemma, they have the same meaning. Only questions specifically ask the difference, then only they are different. If the question asks to mention moral dilemmas that means ethical dilemmas only.
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