So someone just explained to me the difference between ethics and morals. Apparently ethics is when you don’t have a religious component and morals is when you do.
For some reason I had always assumed that ethics were over-reaching things and morals were personal things. So, ethics is don’t commit genocide and morals is don’t steal your sisters lollipop. Although I suppose the principle is actually the same, I haven’t really thought of it before.
I still think they need to be personal things.
Nordic Lady and the Ex-Gardenarian just fed me a lot of wine. I’m not nice pissed, I know I socialise better sober. I need to pay attention to the Jellicle and Lexy et al about wine.
ethics = moral philosophy
The religious component is irrelevant to the distinction.
Though many religious folk may endeavour to tell you otherwise… 😉
I would say that ethics tend to be something you discuss and reason, hence you get ethics committees. Morality is something axiomatic, or very close to it, and hence very personal. This is why we have laws about killing people or choosing the sex of your baby, but not about adultery. It’s also why abortion is such a controversial issue because it treads the boundary between societal ethics and personal morality.
Ethics and morality are separate concepts which are defined differently by each and every individual on this planet. For me morals are the building blocks of ethics.