When you use or hear the words, what do you consider the difference between morality/morals and ethics to be?
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Anonymous2010-01-23 19:52
Ethics are logical and reasonable. Things are right or wrong for a reason. One can reasonably derive "Thing is wrong" from an accepted basic principle which lends a scientific (or pseudo-scientific) credence to the whole right vs wrong thing.
Morals are not inherently logical or reasonable. They often fall into the "Thing is wrong because it is wrong" trap, and are based more on subjective ideals and personal preferences. Religious laws are often in this category, not so much because the laws are illogical in and of themselves, but because the people who follow them don't care about the logic and only follow them at face value because "it's right".
The two are not mutually exclusive. Something that is 'moral' for one person can be 'ethical' for another. The issue isn't so much the action itself, rather the reasoning behind it. So a religious zealot without two brain cells to rub together would perform actions based on a 'moral' compass, whereas a more scientifically minded individual would perform based on 'ethicality', even if they are fundamentally the same action.