ATS Ethics and Morals

Many people use Morals and Ethics interchangeably and for good reason; if you look up the definition of morals it will reference ethics in a somewhat circular definition, same goes if you look up ethics. I will make an important distinction. Ethics represents innate knowledge of right/wrong distinctions. Ethics transcends culture, religion, and time.

Morals are culturally and religiously based distinctions of right/wrong. The sphere of morality does overlap the sphere of ethics which makes distinctions between the two difficult. Morality claims knowledge of ethics but it does so through culturally based assertions, namely through religion. It is for this reason, morality has a religious connotation. Both terms denote a knowledge of right and wrong actions but the foundations of that knowledge are divergent.

Here I Would like to Make a fun-test with ATS.

What are YOUR personal scales?
According to this rules, heh:


If you fall into the second graph you are considered Ethical, if your choice dominates the third, considered Unethical.


If you fall into the middle graph you are considered Moral, if your choice dominates the first or third, you are Immoral.

a reply to: Argentbenign

Where did you find the test? source?

Aside from the many debates that could be had over the placings, the problem with a setup like this is that any individual can be all three from setting to setting, mood to mood, etc. Then there's the problem where many people suck at self-evaluation (more and more people are growing up that way too). Food for thought though, and people should check out stuff like this to get better at seeing inside themselves.

dp

a reply to: tikbalang

No idea of the source, found it while cleaning old external drive. I like it thou, it sez I'm total immoral bastard.

a reply to: Argentbenign

Morals are culturally and religiously based distinctions of right/wrong. The sphere of morality does overlap the sphere of ethics which makes distinctions between the two difficult. Morality claims knowledge of ethics but it does so through culturally based assertions, namely through religion. It is for this reason, morality has a religious connotation.

Agreed

Morals can be different across countries and regions whereas ethics should be universal. Morals are generally fed by an emotional response and ethics are determined from an objective and philosophical discussion.

Euthanasia is a good topic where both collide. Legal precedent and liability versus subjective empathy and emotions.

Quick, free easy ethics quiz here. It's OK.

Quickish, free morality quiz here. Basically tells you what you just told it! No insights in this even though the process is thought-provoking.

reminder to print remark at edit:

a reply to: IgnoranceIsntBlisss

Ah ha so what you're saying is....we're human. We can all fall into any of those columns at different times under different circumstances.
Which I'm fine with. Balance. Just don't live to long at either end.

I bet even Mother Teresa got pissed off at times

So according to these charts, I appear to be Ethical yet wildly immoral.

-Alee

a reply to: Argentbenign

It lost me when it designated "individuality" as unethical...

a reply to: domapek

I was notified of a reply from you, but it's not showing up! I've even refreshed the page and re-clicked on the link.

Sorry... don't know what that's about!!

a reply to: Argentbenign

Uh, I think this whole thing either fails, or is altogether out of date.

In modern America, the society embraces situational ethics and moral relativism. The result is that there's no agreed upon moral center or ethical "right" v. ethical "wrong". It creates a very strange situation because, for example, you don't get to tell me what's ethical, or moral, and vica versa. However, Progressives, (Marxists) lay claim to the moral high ground, a position they use to define what is right and what is wrong as far as they are concerned. So, for example, Hilary is a Progressive Liberal and lies with regularity, but as far as the Leftist Progressives are concerned, if you tell a falsehood in pursuit of a goal that tends to the high moral or ethical ground, it isn't a lie, its just a means to an end. Right wing Christians engage in the same games but they claim moral authority from Biblical teachings most Americans no longer believe in.

So really talk about ethics and morals in the context of modern US society is utterly pointless.

a reply to: Argentbenign

According to these charts, these charts are unethical and immoral.

originally posted by: Argentbenign
Ethics represents innate knowledge of right/wrong distinctions. Ethics transcends culture, religion, and time.

That's weird. I have always had the opposite understanding - that ethics is the science of morality- the reflection on the topic of morals. It is analyzation and intellectualization about morals. It engages reason, logic, and cultural influences.... but certainly not "innate".

Morals are culturally and religiously based distinctions of right/wrong.

I always understood morals to be ones emotional/intuitive reactions of repulsion or attraction, which drive behaviors and attitudes of right and wrong. Made up of innate (evolved behaviors) as well as conditioned through experience. They are the "wordless" subjective "feeling" about things.

I don't see those as religiously based distinctions. For example, the ethics of a religion or culture can dictate that something is wrong, while the body feels it morally "right" or "good".

Ethics are talking, writing, thinking about morals. Morals are felt, experienced, in reaction to objects, persons, or events.

I guess, if I analyze my morals deeper, I find some of them might be partially formed by culture. With time and lots of experiences, it can pervert the natural intuitive morals, or replace them.

I guess I don't get the rest of the point yet.

I can't imagine a person as "being" moral or immoral. I percieve people doing moral or immoral acts....