What is the difference between ethics, morals and values?
Let me start by stating that even among those who believe they know the answer to this question there is not total agreement. For many, the way you answer the question is a function of the acad academ emic ic disc discip ipli line ne whic which h shape shaped d your your thin thinki king ng and the the reli religi giou ouss and/ and/or or theo theolo logi gical cal underpinnings of your personal belief system. So in answering what seems like a simple question for which there must be a simple answer it becomes necessary to frame any response with an explanation. am answer answering ing this this questio question n from from a busine businessm ssman! an!ss perspe perspecti ctive. ve. "y philos philosophe opher, r, lawye lawyer, r, theologian and academician friends repeatedly tell me that my definitions are too simplistic and lack rigor. #n the other hand, their more sophisticated and rigorous definitions can appear to lack utility and fail to guide the business decisions that those o f us in the real world face daily. $ith that caveat and in reverse order from the question% Values are our fundamental beliefs. &hey are the principles we use to define that which is right, good and 'ust. (alues provide guidance as we determine the right versus the wrong, the good versus the bad. &hey are our standards. )onsider the word *evaluate+. $hen we evaluate something we compare it to a standard. $e determine whether it meets that standard or falls short, comes close or far exceeds. &o evaluate is to determine the merit of a thing or an action as compared to a standard. &ypical values include honesty, integrity, compassion, courage, honor, responsibility, patriotism, respect and fairness. Morals are values which we attribute to a system of beliefs , typically a religious system, but it could be a political system of some other set of beliefs. &hese values get their authority from somethi something ng outsid outsidee the indivi individua dual l a higher higher being being or higher higher author authority ity -e.g. societ society y.. n the business world we often find ourselves avoiding avo iding framing our ethical choices in moral terms for fear that doing so might prove offensive -lacking in respect or compassion to some. "any of us find our values are strongly influenced by our sense of morality right as defined by a higher authority. et we refrain from citing that authority because doing so may seem less rational and more emotional to others who do not share our belief system. &he lack of public reference to morals does not diminish the power of moral authority. 0voiding a moralitybased rationale is a social convention and one that is not universally practiced.
1y that definition one could categori2e the values listed above -honesty, integrity, compassion 3 as *moral values+ values derived from a higher authority. &hat is a convenient way to different differentiate iate them from what are often called utilitarian utilitarian or business business values, such as excellence, excellence, quality, safety, service, which define some elements of right and good in a business context. Ethics is about our actions and decisions.
$hen one acts in ways which are consistent with our beliefs -whether secular or derived from a moral authority we will characteri2e that as acting ethically. $hen one!s actions are not congruent with our values our sense of right, good and 'ust we will view that as acting unethically. 4efining what is ethical is not an individual exercise however. f it were then one could have argued that what 5itler did was ethical since his actions conformed to his definition of right, fair and good. &he ethics of our decisions and actions is defined societally, not individually. f society is dominated by a single religious or cultural belief system, as is the case in some countries, then what is ethical and what is moral may be defined as the same thing. n societies where there is not a monolithic belief system there can be very wide differences in opinion in society as to whether a given action is ethical -or moral. )onsider several of the longstanding national debates that are going on in the 6nited States. #ften the controversy is the result of people coming to a question from different moral positions or from different values. &ake the very difficult question of abortion. f your religious belief system defines abortion as taking a life then you cannot be ethical -acting in ways that are consistent with your values and support the position that abortion is a woman!s individual choice. f your personal value system holds that control of one!s body is an inviolable personal right then the idea that others individually or collectively can impose their will on you is antithetical to that right. )ulturally we also see differences as to how values are defined. n 6S society we stand against nepotism. $e believe that a concern for fairness to all employees demands that large businesses protect their employees from the unfairness inherent in the situation where an individual supervisors a member of his or her immediate family. &he concern is for the inevitability of preferential treatment and/or the inappropriate sharing of personal/confidential information about others in the workplace. Fairness demands that nepotism not be tolerated. n the 0rab world, nepotism is often viewed as an illogical concern. &he cultural obligation to look after one!s family outweighs other concerns. #f course one would favor family. &hat is what family does. &hat is the right thing to do. $hile am not arguing that ethics is *situational+ am arguing that while we may agree on values, we may disagree as to which values apply or which actions best satisfy those values. s it fair to treat each employee identically -equality or is it fair to treat each employee according to his or her needs -equity7 n our society we argue both. 0nd of course we have ethical dilemmas, where the choice is not between what we believe to be right and what we believe to be wrong, but between competing rights. &he classic case% *s it ethical to steal a loaf of bread to feed a starving child.+ &he answer, *t depends.+ 1ut that is another article.
