Morals and Ethics

Both ethics and morality are important traits of a person and these two aspects or traits hugely determine the character of a person and what the person stands for, what the person believes in and what is the general philosophy of the person. It will be safe to say that morality is more of a guideline that determines whether something is right or wrong and ethics, on the other hand, ethics are more of a specific response in a certain situation which can be either the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do at that point of time. However, ethics are very debatable and can vary from one person to another. However, having said so, in most cases, the ethical ways or true ethics is considered to be the philosophy of acting properly and being able to do the best thing possible for all parties concerned and more so for the benefit of others. 

Basic Differences Between Morality and Ethics

Morality and ethics do go hand in hand and many say that a person’s morality determines the ethics of the person and ultimately reflects on the action they take in a particular situation. However, there are still some fundamental differences between the two. Some of them are discussed as follows;

1. Morals are the guidelines made by society in general; which guide us that what things are right and what is wrong. Ethics on the other hand refers to the state that whether in a certain situation, it will be the best thing to do if a person speaks the truth. In certain situations, doing something morally right, may not be the most ethical thing to do. Thus, morals may guide people, but people must ultimately do what is ethically right or best in a situation based on their ethics and judgment.
2. Morality is the customs determined by an authority, the society, or a group of people of a place. Ethics, on the other hand, is strictly a personal attribute. A personal characteristic feature.     
3. Morals are chosen guidelines. They are selected by the society, religious groups, and the culture of a place. Meanwhile, ethics are personal traits and only the person themselves have the right to govern himself guided by those ethical values.
4. Morals are strictly concerned with whether right or wrong. Ethics, on the other hand, instills a direction in a thorough process or decision-making of a person and stresses what will be the right conduct or wrong conduct. 
5. Morals vary from one place to another while ethics remain more or less the same among a group of individuals.
6. Morals can be expressed in the form of proper statements about something being right or wrong. Now, as far as ethics are concerned, they cannot be expressed in the form of statements.
7. Morals usually do not have any practical applicability like ethics. Ethics can be used in the decision-making of any individual and thus, is widely applicable. They are applicable in businesses too which also has its special term called ‘business ethics’ which determines the responsible and most considerate things that the organization must perform while doing business.                                      

Conclusion

Morals mean customs while ethics mean character. However, both of them are the attitude, character, and belief-system of an individual which acts as a guiding principle towards their development and course of action in their lifetime.