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It seems to me the author incorrectly assumes morality is the same as ethics. Morality is more individualistic whereas ethics are externally imposed rules from

It seems to me the author incorrectly assumes morality is the same as ethics. Morality is more individualistic whereas ethics are externally imposed rules from which one may derive their morality. A Biblical absolutist for instance uses the ethics of the Bible as a foundation for their moral code, but that still does not determine that one will lead to the other. As a society it may indeed behoove us to follow an ethical structure such as utilitarianism (an argument I have made specifically for democracies in the past) but the personal morality of the individuals within that society may vary greatly.

woodruffw 10y ago
In ethical theory/moral philosophy, ethics and morality are the same thing. Both are concerned chiefly with two questions: what we ought to do given what is (unless you're Hume), and whether what has been done is good (or just, or right).
- analog31 10y ago
  The old joke is that morality is about sex, and ethics is about money.
- bleachedsleet 10y ago
  I'd be honestly interested to know why you believe they are considered the same in the field of ethical philosophy. Throughout my education toward a degree in philosophy I was consistently taught they were very different. One cannot confuse the terms in the study therein because of cause and effect: ethics is the cause that leads to morals.
  - woodruffw 10y ago
    That's funny. I'm currently pursuing a degree in philosophy, and I was consistently taught that they were the same. Most of my professors used them interchangeably, with a slight preference for "ethics" when discussing theory. I realize that my previous comment made it sound like I'm an authority on the subject (I'm most definitely not), so please forgive me for being so brusque in dismissing an alternative definition.
- woodandsteel 10y ago
  My impression is the two terms are not exactly the same, with some vague differences in connotations, but a great deal of overlap, and often used interchangeably. By the way, this is general problem in philosophy, as compared with other fields. Many standard terms are inexact in their meanings, and used differently by different philosophers. So for instance, some philosophers use the term ontology to mean the same thing as metaphysics, and others make a strong distinction between the two. Heidegger even switched his meanings between his early and later career. Indeed, there isn't even a standard definition for the term philosophy itself.
skissane 10y ago
A lot of people seem to think that "ethics" and "morals" mean something different–but those people who think this rarely seem to agree on what exactly the supposed difference is, nor have I ever seen anyone who thought this able to cite an authoritative source for their proposed distinction. The difference between "ethics" and "morals" is etymological – the first word comes from Greek, the second word comes from Latin. The traditional and historically well-established usage is that they are synonyms–most dictionaries and thesauruses treat them as such. Part of the issue, I think, is the term "moral" often has religious/traditional/conservative connotations, whereas the word "ethical" often has more secular/progressive connotations. But, a difference in connotation does not require a difference in denotation. And many of the proposals to define these words differently rely on secularist assumptions, about a distinction between a "personal" or "private" and "public" sphere, which is a distinction which appeals to secular progressives but which many religious conservatives will question.
dragonwriter 10y ago
> It seems to me the author incorrectly assumes morality is the same as ethics. Morality and ethics are the same thing, in general/philosophical sense ("ethics" has a specific meaning in a government/political sense which is distinct from morality -- or perhaps rather a specific subset of morality -- but that's clearly not relevant here.) > Morality is more individualistic whereas ethics are externally imposed rules from which one may derive their morality. This is a creative distinction, but not one that is generally held as the definition of either term.

woodruffw 10y ago

In ethical theory/moral philosophy, ethics and morality are the same thing. Both are concerned chiefly with two questions: what we ought to do given what is (unless you're Hume), and whether what has been done is good (or just, or right).

analog31 10y ago
The old joke is that morality is about sex, and ethics is about money.
bleachedsleet 10y ago
I'd be honestly interested to know why you believe they are considered the same in the field of ethical philosophy. Throughout my education toward a degree in philosophy I was consistently taught they were very different. One cannot confuse the terms in the study therein because of cause and effect: ethics is the cause that leads to morals.
- woodruffw 10y ago
  That's funny. I'm currently pursuing a degree in philosophy, and I was consistently taught that they were the same. Most of my professors used them interchangeably, with a slight preference for "ethics" when discussing theory. I realize that my previous comment made it sound like I'm an authority on the subject (I'm most definitely not), so please forgive me for being so brusque in dismissing an alternative definition.
woodandsteel 10y ago
My impression is the two terms are not exactly the same, with some vague differences in connotations, but a great deal of overlap, and often used interchangeably. By the way, this is general problem in philosophy, as compared with other fields. Many standard terms are inexact in their meanings, and used differently by different philosophers. So for instance, some philosophers use the term ontology to mean the same thing as metaphysics, and others make a strong distinction between the two. Heidegger even switched his meanings between his early and later career. Indeed, there isn't even a standard definition for the term philosophy itself.

skissane 10y ago

A lot of people seem to think that "ethics" and "morals" mean something different–but those people who think this rarely seem to agree on what exactly the supposed difference is, nor have I ever seen anyone who thought this able to cite an authoritative source for their proposed distinction. The difference between "ethics" and "morals" is etymological – the first word comes from Greek, the second word comes from Latin. The traditional and historically well-established usage is that they are synonyms–most dictionaries and thesauruses treat them as such. Part of the issue, I think, is the term "moral" often has religious/traditional/conservative connotations, whereas the word "ethical" often has more secular/progressive connotations. But, a difference in connotation does not require a difference in denotation. And many of the proposals to define these words differently rely on secularist assumptions, about a distinction between a "personal" or "private" and "public" sphere, which is a distinction which appeals to secular progressives but which many religious conservatives will question.

dragonwriter 10y ago

> It seems to me the author incorrectly assumes morality is the same as ethics. Morality and ethics are the same thing, in general/philosophical sense ("ethics" has a specific meaning in a government/political sense which is distinct from morality -- or perhaps rather a specific subset of morality -- but that's clearly not relevant here.) > Morality is more individualistic whereas ethics are externally imposed rules from which one may derive their morality. This is a creative distinction, but not one that is generally held as the definition of either term.