The Difference Between Morals and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Difference Between Morals and Ethics - Essay Example It is a systematic evaluation and reasoning of how we ought to perform depending on various contexts. As Desnoyers defines, â€Å"ethics is the body of principles that decide what behaviors are right, good, and proper.† (Desnoyers). Such attitudes do not always state a single â€Å"moral† course of action, but facilitate measures to evaluate and decide among competing options. It is all about putting these principles into action. It is a matter of honesty to observe uniformity between what we say, we value, and what our deeds say we value. Ethics motivates a person to follow certain standards or codes of behavior desired by the society in which the individual is a part. Ethics in its wider sense can be national ethics, social ethics, company ethics, or professional ethics. On the other hand, morals promote a demanding set of duties that requires a person to overcome his natural desires, in way to follow his moral law. On comparing the differences between ethics and mora ls, we find that ethics is the guidelines, for choosing proper conduct, while morality is the parameters for behavior that exist at some point of time. The ethical principles undergo very little changes while on the other hand, morality endures more changes repeatedly. Morality can be depicted as a snapshot taken of an unstable object. However, since ethics has got more essential and established principles, it is bigger than morality in its function. An example of a criminal defense lawyer may be apt to understand the terms of moral and ethics in its practical sense. The lawyer’s personal moral code may consider the murder immoral and culpable. On the other hand, the ethics demands the lawyer to defend his client as strongly as possible, even when he is aware of the fact that the accused is guilty and freeing the defendant would eventually lead to more crimes. In such case, the legal ethics as well as his professional ethics must override personal morals in order to uphold th e justice system where the accused is given a fair chance. In the same way, ethics and morals may clash at the workplace where the company ethics supersede personal morality. Corporate insatiability that often crosses its own ethical lines fastened with perverse demands on time may force employee to select from a traumatic, challenging, and unbearable work ethics considering his/her family responsibilities as moral commitment to next of kin. Ethical decision making is carried out by the logical and systematical application of one’s ethical principles and does not take place by random likelihood. An individual often feels lost at sea when facing with a situation where he needs to apply ethical principles. In a critical decision making condition, an individual can apply ethical principles by choosing a course of action. George Desnoyers brings out a set of clear rules that can be applied in advance to enhance an individual to lead an ethical life. They are; I will think before I act; will clarify and constantly review my goals. I will try to consider the consequences of my actins and omissions. I will monitor and review the results of my actions. I will be honest in all my business dealing. (Source: Desnoyers, n.d). Moral certainty can be referred to as a concept of instinctive probability, where a high degree of probability occurs that is adequate for the action but not sufficient for absolute certainty.