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What's the difference between ethics and morality?
(lemmy.world)
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this post was submitted on 30 Sep 2023
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Originally, ethics were supposed to be a field of philosophy dealing with right and wrong on an individual scale, like virtue ethics, and morals, on a social scale, see "social mores." Over time, that distinction disappeared, and in some cases got flipped—see, an "ethics committee." So don't sweat it, they're interchangeable, and everybody here is just talking about the connotations they've picked up in different contexts.
Either you've got it backwards or those definitions have effectively flipped. Ethics is the study of what a society finds acceptable - while morals are an internal measure. That is why we consider our own moral compass when making a decision that we know wouldn't be judged by society at large and why we debate the ethics of laws - I.e. is the death penalty an ethical punishment.
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No, they're correct. Ethics is a branch of philosophy, concerned with defining right or desirable behavior using the same rational foundations as philosophy as a whole.
Morality tries to answer the same questions, but it's based on societal customs, inherited beliefs, religion, and similar.