Ethics

Ethics is a set of standards that society places on itself, which helps guide behaviour, choices and actions. The word ‘ethics’ comes from the original Greek term ethikos, meaning ‘arising from habit’. ‘Ethics’ presupposes that there is a certain set of mannerisms and behaviours that are ‘right’ and must be followed.  

Further, as a subject, Ethics is the philosophical treatise that studies human behaviour and tries to determine what is right or wrong behaviour. It is a discipline based on logical justification of human action. 

It is closely related to ‘Morality’ and is also called Moral Philosophy.

Morality

Morality comes from the Latin word ‘mores’ which means, ‘ways of behaviour’ or ‘human character’. Morality refers to the set of beliefs that guides an individual to distinguish right from wrong.

Morality assumes that there is a spontaneous awareness of a distinction between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, i.e. there is something intuitively telling us what is right and wrong. It is generally based on our conscience. If someone says that “I feel from my heart, this is right”, this person is guided by a personal sense of morality. 

Ethics and Morality  

Both ethics and morality are often used synonymously. However, there is a slight difference. Ethics is socially recognized and morality is based on individual conscience. If ethics is morality socialised, morality is ethics personalised.

	Ethics	Morality
Origin of term	Greek term Ethikos, which means ‘arising from habit’.	The Latin word ‘mores’ means, ‘ways of behaviour’ or ‘human character’.
Source	The source of ethical standards is external like Social Norms and Standards.	The source of morality is Internal like Individual Conscience and beliefs.
Objectivity	These are objective standards within a society, but are not universal; Different cultures might still have different ethical standards.	It is completely Subjective as it varies from individual to individual.
Flexibility	Ethics are dependent on others for definition and thus are subject to flexible individual interpretations.	Morality is based on personal Values and attitudes, and thus less inclined for change.
For Example,	Live-in relationships are generally considered unethical in Indian society.	However, being dedicated to a relationship even without formally marrying might suit personal morality.

 

Swami Vivekananda’s exposition of Morality

“…we know that as knowledge comes, a person grows, morality is evolved, and the idea of non-separateness begins. Whether men understand it or not, they are impelled by that power behind them to become unselfish. That is the foundation of morality.”

Functions of Ethics and Morality

There is very little difference between Ethics and Morality in terms of their meaning and both the terms are often used interchangeably. This is because both are very similar in their nature: 

• Both Morality and Ethics impose certain limits on our actions. 
• Both help in critically evaluating our actions, choices and decisions, telling us what is best for us and for the society at large, resolving dilemmas and confusion.
• Both provide for stability in society and other institutions by providing a common ground.  
• In the personal sphere ethics and morality guide our relations with our fellow beings and in professional life or public administration, ethics focuses on how one should act and reflect in order to act responsibly. 
• If our actions are in line with Morality it removes any internal conflict, if they align with the ethical standards of the society, it prevents social isolation.

Essence of Ethics

Essence is the intrinsic quality of something that determines its character. The Essence of ethics can be charaterised as follows:

1. It is both relative as well as Universal

Ethics is relative are determined in a social setting at a given point in time. A society’s history, culture, values etc. determine ethical standards, which may vary from society to society. For example in medieval India practice of Sati was perceived to be ethical as society legitimised it where it was unethical practice.

However it applies to the all members of the society, and everyone generally agrees upon what is right and what is wrong. It is therefore universal. For example, everyone agrees that we must not steal.

2. It is Subjective as well as objective

Ethics is not an objective universal concept. Its understanding varies from time to time, from person to person, society to society. Ethics are subjective in nature are they are affected by an individual’s emotions and perceptions.

But it is also objective: Ethics preach a certain kind of behaviour to us. It tells us how people should behave. In fact, laws and rules are formed when ethics is codified. Even as social norms, ethics is objective.

3. Originates from the idea of Justice

Ethics originate from the sense of justice prevailing in a particular society. Ethical conduct implies treating a person equally with dignity.

Ethical values are interrelated to each other. For example – honesty, truthfulness, integrity; values of equality and justice cannot exist without tolerance etc. All these stem from the same idea of justice.

4. It is abstract as well as real

Ethics are abstract as it is a system of thoughts and judgments and all thoughts are abstract in the sense that they are “of ” or “about” an object; they are not the object itself. 

But it applies to the real world, and is therefore real.

5. Applies at Various Levels:

Ethics operates at different levels individual, organization, socio-cultural, political and international. Ethics at each level affect each other. For example, a leader who is ethical in their personal life is more likely to act ethically in their political life. Like Lal Bahadur Shastri was ethical in the individual and political life. 

Ethical standards may transcend the narrow stipulations of law and code of regulations.

6. It is benefitial

Ethical behaviour leads to various benefits for an individual as well as the society at large. Ethics leads to peace, harmony, respect, justice etc. For example, Gandhi’s strong ethical and moral principles benefitted society as well.

Determinant of Ethics

Determinants of ethics are the factors that affect and shape an individual’s beliefs, values, and behaviours. These determinants are varied and complex, often interlinked with each other to form the ethical framework that guides a person’s decisions and actions. Understanding these determinants is crucial for comprehending why people behave the way they do in moral and ethical situations. 

Some of the determinants of ethics are as follows:

• Person: Ethical decision depends on the mental makeup of an individual. It depends upon how the person has internalized personal attitudes and values regarding ethical behaviour.
• Place: It refers to the external environment, which includes family, school, etc. For example, as kids, we were told by our parents and teachers not to steal things. As we grow up we tend to carry such knowledge and apply it to the real world. Similarly, work workplace teaches us the ethics of teamwork, punctuality, responsibility, etc.
• Time: Different individuals, societies and cultures have different sets of moral codes at different times. It was once considered ethical to own a slave. But today such a practice is unethical. 
• Object: It is unethical to lie despite any circumstances, purpose or intention. Telling a truth to harm a person intentionally is also unethical as the intention of telling a truth is not pure.
• Circumstances: Circumstances also affect the person’s decision and it determines whether it is ethical or not. Thus, the situation often makes morality subjective. For example, Stealing is unethical in the first place but when a poor person steals to feed her children, it reduces the unethicality of the act. 
• Culture: Culture has a profound effect on shaping individual values. For example, western culture surrounds individualism and Indian culture is based on universalism.
• Role Models/Celebrities/Famous Personalities: The leadership or role models and celebrities of a society organization or nation also help to determine whether the conduct of their followers or admirers is ethical.
• God & Religion: Every religion and god advocate universal peace and ethical practices. Religious textbooks teach how one should behave in a society and how the society should be.
• Conscience & Intuition: A person who follows his conscience & Intuition feels that what is good is good because it is good and what is bad is bad because it is bad. Intuition doesn’t need any justification while following its actions. But conscience is justified based on his actions because of its moral nature and it has reasoning and justification.
• Family: Family is the first interaction where a child’s personality develops since his birth. Today’s Children are tomorrow’s citizens. Therefore, its utmost importance that the Family environment teaches what is ethically correct.

Classification of Ethics

Ethical theories can be classified as either teleological or deontological.

Teleological ethics/Consequential ethics: 

Consequentialism is a theory that says whether something is good or bad depends on its outcomes. 

For example, most people would agree that lying is wrong. But if telling a lie would help save a person’s life, consequentialism says it’s the right thing to do. 

Deontological ethics: 

It judges the ethical behaviours of the person based on the principle. It evaluates the morality of an action based on its inherent rightness or wrongness, regardless of its consequences. For example, Gandhi ji denounced the Violence in the Chauri-Chaura incident based on the principle of non-violence.

We shall study about these in detail in the next chapter.

Consequences of Ethics in Human Action

Consequences of Ethics means consequences of human actions when it is guided by ethical standards. It can be studied at various levels as follows:

At Individual level	It builds self-confidence and courage of conviction. It creates a peace of mind. Trust and credibility of individuals increase with ethical behaviours. Example: Court ruled out accusation charges against Ex-Chairperson of ISRO Madhavan Nair. False accusations of unethical behaviour have disturbed the mental peace of the Ex-Chairman thus the court asked the government to pay compensation for his mental suffering.
At organisational Level	Ethical conduct of civil servants improves the quality of services. It reduces corruption. Creates trust among people.   Example: Election Commission of India – Even after seven decades it conducts elections free and fair manner. People and political parties placed tremendous faith in ECI for conducting elections.
At societal level	Ethical conduct of individuals creates social capital as trust in the society develops. Thus Social harmony in society develops.  A society based on high ethical standards creates a safe environment for human development. It creates a sense of Justice.

Consequences of Loss of Ethics

“A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world”.
– Albert Camus (French author and philosopher).

The absence of ethics leads to dire consequences at various levels as follows:

Levels	Consequences
Individual level	Loss of civic values leads to behaviour like spitting in public spaces and jumping red lights.  Loss of respect for the elders that reflected in the crime against the aged and the use of abusive and filthy language.  Greed in the man increases leading to the Petty crimes.
Social level	Due to the loss of ethical values social disharmony in society increases, such as crime rate, drug addiction, regionalism, and castism in the society increases.
Organisational level	When there is a loss of ethical values in the organization it leads to the rise of favouritism, Nepotism etc.  Work culture in the organization degrades leading to the rise of corruption, loss of trust and decrease in efficiency. Unethical behaviours in the government organization lead to Loss of trust of the people in the administration.
Political level	Loss of ethics in political leadership leads to an increase in the use of political power for personal gain. Further immoral behaviours lead to the criminalisation of politics, political bureaucracy nexus etc.
International level	Trust deficit, frictions, disputes, unhealthy competition, damage to the environment and unsustainable development, and disregard for international conventions and laws.
Bioethical level	Abortion, animal rights, cloning, artificial intelligence, consent, confidentiality, GM organisms, Suicide.
Environmental level	Loss of flora and fauna, unsustainable development, polluter shall pay principle is diminishing, increase in pollution levels, disregard to Common but Differentiated Responsibility (CBDR).

Relation between Law and Ethics

Law	Ethics
Formal rules established by authority	Informal, subjective principles
Enforced by governmental/societal authority	Governed by individual or societal conscience
Non-adherence leads to sanctions or penalties.	Non-adherence leads to moral guilt or shame.
Universal within a jurisdiction	Varies among individuals, cultures, religions
Rigidity in application	Flexible and adaptable
Mostly tangible and explicit	Mostly intangible and implicit
Meant to control and regulate behaviour	Meant to guide and inspire behaviour
Reactive (penalties after breach)	Proactive (prevents moral wrongs)
Codified and documented	Often unwritten and unspoken
Doesn’t necessarily include ethical considerations	Can include legal considerations

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