Morals, Ethics and Values

The discussion of morals, ethics and values is one that is relevant in all walks of life. These areas of personal philosophies are what determine how to interact with other people and feed our general conduct.

Morals

Generally speaking, our morality is what drives our decision about what is "good" and what is "bad." People generally agree that it is morally wrong to kill another human being, or steal something that doesn't belong to you. Morals are, however, dependent upon the society in which you live. An American might feel immoral if he had multiple partners, but in some societies, it is the norm.

Values

Values are more personal that morals. Morals are somewhat shared, based upon your culture, but your individual values may not be shared with others. You could, for instance, value your rationality, but somebody else may believe that their emotional side is more important than their logical side. Differing values can drive debates and disagreements in society. Political opinions are a good example of this.

Ethics

Ethics generally refers to codes of conduct, as opposed to the more general and almost unstated morality of humans. Business will have a code of ethics, and they are simply a set of rules laid down in order to ensure that moral standards are upheld.

References

• Changing Minds: Values, Morals and Ethics
• Stanford Encylopedia of Philosophy: The Definition of Morality
• Steve Pavlina: List of Values
• Stanta Clara University: What is Ethics?