We explain what ethics and morals are, the differences between them, and we give you examples of ethical and moral principles.
Examples of ethics and morals
The ethics and the moral are two important concepts when thinking about institutions and the behaviour of individuals, since both refer to the distinction between what is considered "good" and "bad" in the society. However, both concepts are often confused or used indeterminately.
Morality designates the set of traditions and norms by which a community judges and directs the conduct of its individuals. That is, it is an inherited knowledge (historical, cultural, religious, etc.) around the distinction between good and bad, fair and unfair, acceptable and not, appealing to criteria more or less objectives.
It is the radically opposite of the immoral ("that which goes against morality") or the amoral ("that which does not attend to morality, which is never questioned").
On the other hand, ethics is a field of philosophical study that seeks to understand how moral concepts are formed in society and how they are used to regulate human behavior. Ethics is generally thought of as an attempt to find a universal or cross-cultural morality, although it is very common for both concepts to coincide completely at a given historical moment.
Therefore, it is necessary to always speak of morality within the framework of a culture or a specific historical moment, while ethics tends to be considered as the principle of good living or social harmony, thought in more general and philosophical terms.
Furthermore, ethics can be thought from an individual point of view, that is, as the adaptation of a person's conduct to the moral norms that prevail in society; that is what we mean when we refer to "professional ethics”, For example: the degree of morality that must be taken into account when exercising a profession determined.
Now, to give examples of ethics and morals, we must attend to the beginning ethical and moral, which are distinguished from each other as follows:
| Moral principles | Ethical principles |
| They are specific rules to distinguish between good and bad, which do not depend on the specific situation. | They are concrete rules to distinguish between good and bad, which depend on the situation and the context. |
| They are part of the cultural and historical baggage of a group. | They are created in a rational way by a community to govern their behaviors. |
| They are not applicable to amoral matters, such as business and science. | They are applicable to the exercise of business and science, in accordance with the ethical codes of each profession. |
| They are collective, general, within each society. | They are individual or concern a small group within the whole society. |
See also: Ethical values, Moral values
Examples of moral principles
- Doing good without looking at whom. This translates to that we must be solidarity with those who need it, without stopping first to judge if that person deserves it, if we are going to gain something with it or other more selfish considerations. That is, helping is helping anyone.
- Share good fortune. This means that when we are lucky, we should not forget those who are not. This is often explained by a proverb that says: "If you have more food than you need, build a longer table, not a higher wall."
- Respect the other as yourself. This means that we must treat others as we would like them to treat us, with the same I respect, the same consideration and the same patience.
- Face the responsibilities. This means that we must be responsible with ourselves and with others, and not flee from the consequences of our actions, or hide cowardly behind other people, or accept that others bear our guilt.
- Honor the word given. This means that once we have given our word to a promise of any kind, we must stand up and keep what we promised, or in the future no one will take us seriously when we make a promise.
- Do not make firewood from the fallen tree. This means that we must not take advantage of the moments of weakness or crisis of others for our own benefit, because at such moments the person cannot fully fend for himself or is not in a position to make fair decisions, and we would be taking advantage to its fragility.
- Have compassion for others. This means that we must be moved by the pain of others, feel it as if it were our own, to act for the benefit of others when necessary. A society without compassion is a society of enemies or rivals, in eternal competition, destined to eat itself.
- Honor your ancestors and your elders. This means that we must respect those who came before us, because they know life more and have more experience, and therefore can give us good advice. In addition, many of them have given everything possible for the world they inherit from us, for better and for worse.
- Always say the truth, even if it hurts. This translates into committing to the truth in all matters, even when it is not in our best interest or when it hurts us in some way. Lying never solves any problem.
- Be loyal to your affections. This means that we must not betray the trust and the love of those who are our friends, allies or relatives, as this would imply hurting those we will need later, or those who have been there for us in the past. We must be there for them, as the saying goes: "love pays with love."
- Do not envy others. This means that we must not wish others ill who are more fortunate than us, nor must we act so that they lose what we would like to have in their place. Rather, we must work in ourselves to follow their example or forge our own path. Almost all religions of the world condemn the envy.
- Do not take ownership of what is foreign. This is simply not stealing, but not appropriating other people's opportunities or trying to unfairly usurp what others have achieved with their effort. Only that which gives us our own work and good luck belongs to us.
- Be humble in all situations. This means that we are lucky or not, we must remember our insignificance in the face of the universe, and not be believing ourselves more important than the rest of the people, nor believe that the universe revolves around us. So we will avoid being pushy, arrogant Y arrogant.
- Turn the other cheek. This means that we must give others a second chance, even when they offended or hurt us the first time, because they may have done it without realizing it, or that they had no alternative, or that things were not as we remember them. . This does not mean that we should not defend ourselves or value ourselves, but that we can give others a second chance. The formulation of Jesus Christ in this regard is famous: “if they slap us, let's turn the other cheek”.
- Do not take the Justice by own hand. This means that we should not believe that our point of view is the only true one, but rather in situations of conflict We must seek the opinion of impartial third parties and let society do justice on our behalf. Otherwise, it is not about justice, but revenge.
- Watch over future generations. This means that we must ensure the happiness and the fullness of those who come after us, because they are innocent of the mistakes that have been made in this world. We must try to inherit a better world than the one we have received.
- Respect the Will alien. This translates into knowing how to understand and accept a "no", especially in situations in which our welfare, our enjoyment or our pleasure may be affected. The will of others must be respected as we would like our own to be respected.
- Place the collective well-being above the individual whim. This means that it is immoral to harm thousands of people, or entire generations, simply by benefiting an individual or allowing them a greater share of pleasures and superficialities. The welfare of the many is more important than the benefit of the few.
- Honor to those who deserve it. This means that we must recognize others for their achievements and talents, if we expect them to recognize ours. Acknowledging to others what they have accomplished does not put us below them, nor does it mean anything except that we are righteous.
- To be tolerant with the beliefs strangers. This applies especially in the religious and moral sphere, and as long as such beliefs do not cause harm to third parties. Everyone has the right to see the world as they see fit, without causing problems or unfair rejection.
Examples of ethical principles
- The Liberty individual. This means that no one should be forced to act against their will through the use of force, nor can they be detained through similar procedures. Everyone should be able to do what they like with their life as long as they do not harm third parties and are in their right mind.
- The impartiality of justice. This means that any violation of the law collective must be judged objectively and sanctioned with a punishment according to the crime committed, no matter who it is.
- The law Empire. This means that the law must rule over all individuals equally, so that we are all subject to the same fundamental obligations and enjoy them. Fundamental rights.
- Individual responsibility. This means that people must answer for their actions before society, but only for their own and not for those of third parties, and that negative actions must have consequences that are assumed by whoever executed them (and not by third parties, again ).
- The reciprocity in the deal. This means that one will be treated as well as the other, which is very important in the affairs of the politics Y business. For example, countries apply this principle in their diplomatic relations.
- The transparency of the can. This means that those individuals who hold positions of power in society must be accountable to it for their decisions and procedures, as well as for the management of the resources that are available for said position, since they are not theirs but belong to the community. He who has power must be held accountable.
- The honesty in business. This implies not cheating those who deal with us: not trying to scam them, not lying about what we sell to them, etc. A business must comply with the established conditions at all times.
- The equity of opportunity. This means that everyone should have an equal opportunity to achieve things through effort and talent, and not face unfair obstacles. Many political and economic systems pursue this ideal, each in its own way.
- The responsibility of power. This means that those who exercise some kind of power over others, be it a government position or simply a professional job, must abide by certain standards of responsibility determined by society. This is what the codes contemplate deontological or professionals.
- Respect for commitment acquired. This means that a commitment made voluntarily must always be honored, since nothing forced us to promise it up front.
- The fidelity with partner. This means that we cannot have multiple sexual, erotic and / or romantic partners behind each other's backs. If we are committed to a couple, we must be faithful. And if not, we just have to be honest with her.
- Respect for private property. This means that we must respect the possessions of others just as we expect them to respect ours, and that if we do not do so we must be punished by the law accordingly.
- The protection of the underdog. This means that society must provide relief to those who find themselves in catastrophic or critical situations, be it the result of natural disasters or human hands, no matter who they are or how they think.
- The valuation of the heritage collective. This means that the material, social or cultural elements that belong to the entire community, be it a country, a generation or the humanity whole, they must be valued above other individual and transitory elements, since it is something that belongs to future generations.
- Respect for other forms of life. This means that Humans We must respect animals and other higher life forms as if they were our close relatives, allowing ourselves compassion for them, as they are our companions in the world.
- The brotherhood between the peoples. This means that people from different countries should see themselves as sisters, even though they speak different languages, have different skin color and practice different religions. Humanity understood as a single great family is the ethical task of many political movements.
- The no discrimination racial. This means that regardless of skin color, factions or ethnic background, everyone should enjoy the same opportunities and the same fundamental rights, and it is not okay to segregate them or subject them to exclusive or preferential treatment.
- The just reward of effort. This is something implicit in other ethical principles, but it deserves its own space: it is that a certain amount of effort corresponds to satisfaction, regardless of who it is, since everyone should see their effort rewarded in the same and fair measure as the others.
- Commitment to the truth. That is, the rejection of lies and falsehood, as a fundamental principle of dealing with others. This is especially true when telling the truth involves losing affection or subjecting yourself to deserved punishment.
- Professional honesty. This means that a professional You must be frank with those who request your services, not only about the compensation you expect to receive (the payment), but also about your abilities, your knowledge, and whether or not your services are appropriate.