Reply #17: Morals or Ethics? [View All]

Maybe this is a distinction that should be made more often. The way I've always used the words, Morals means how I conduct myself, by myself, or with consenting others. Ethics is how I treat others in the world at large.

Morality is a deeply personal issue. Ethics is not. It's not morals which is the basis of the law, ethics is.

We seem to confuse them all the time. While I don't have anything to say on who has sex with who (as long as all are consenting, and of course, capable of consent), I DO have something to say on how one person treats another on the street, on the job, and in the marketplace.

The Common Good stems from ethics, not morals. When you get right down to it, the word 'Morals' is a code word for SEX. Ethics covers just about everything else.