Morals: The Drive Behind Human Actions - Research Paper Example

Introduction Human behavior has always been a focus of s like psychology, philosophy and religion. People from different fields try to explain human behavior on basis of different aspects of human life like his psychology, genetic programming, religious beliefs, cultural background, ethnic background, influence of parents etc. Similarly, philosophy discusses human behavior with the aid of concepts of ‘ethics’ and ‘morality’. However, many a times, the words ‘ethics’ and ‘morality’ are used interchangeably as people are not aware of the difference between them (Billington, 2003, p.19). As both, ethics and morals, of human beings are based on the foundation of rightness and wrongness of human conduct and thoughts, people think that there is no difference between ethics and morals. However, even though there are lot of similarities between ethics and morals of human behavior, the subtle differences in the essence of ethics and morals prove that they are two different concepts altogether. Definition Of Ethics And Morality The definitions of ethics and morality show that there is a slight similarity between ethics and morals of human beings. The definition of ethics gives an idea about how ethics and morals are related to each other. Ethics is defined as a study of human being’s moral and immoral behavior or conduct (Fite. 1903, p. 3). Hence, ethics is a ‘theory’ that guides a person to behave in ‘good’ or ‘moral’ way. On the other hand, morality can be defined as the practice of ethics in human behavior (Billington, 2003, p.19). Similarities Between Ethics And Morals The definitions of ethics and morality show that the ethics and morals are similar to each other as they both aim for the ‘rightness of action’ in human behavior. However, it is important to note that even though both, ethics and morals, are based on the idea of rightness and wrongness of actions, they come from different origins. Hence, they are different from each other. Differences Between Ethics And Morals Morality ‘Moral’ is the word which is used to judge or decide the rightness and wrongness in the behavior and actions (Fite. 1903, p. 3). An act is called ‘moral’ when its consequences are positive and it has a far reaching and important impact on the society as a whole (Fite. 1903, p. 4). Hence, ‘moral’ conduct is different from the selfish behavior which is considered ‘good’ in different spheres of life. For example, killing a soldier from rival country during the war is considered a duty of the soldier and hence, is considered ‘good’ by people working in the military. However, if judged by the ‘moral’ point of view, killing other person is a wrong thing to do. It is considered an immoral act. In the same way, companies sell their products to the customers by manipulating the facts about the product. From the business point of view, it is considered a ‘good’ thing to earn a profit in the market. However, it is not a moral thing to lie to people. Moral behavior is not influenced by words like ‘duty’, ‘profit’, ‘usefulness’, ‘social status’ etc. ‘Moral’ behavior is independent of selfish motives and desires. Moral conduct is the conduct which is expected to be followed whether a person likes it or not (Fite. 1903, p. 3). Hence, morality of the action depends on the consequence of the action. If the consequence of the behavior is not good, or is harmful to other people, then the behavior is considered as bad or ‘unmoral’. If the consequence of behavior is good and brings satisfaction to others, then the behavior is considered as moral. Moreover, the behavior or conduct of a person depends on his individual beliefs about what is right and wrong and not on the social beliefs. Every person has a conscience which motivates him towards right actions. Hence, morality consists of those actions which the conscience of a person drives him to take, regardless of selfish thoughts, usefulness or advantages of the action (Whiteley, 1970, p.22). Morality of a person determines the actions he takes to handle the different situations in real life (Burtness, 1999, p.49). Hence, morals of a human being are personal in nature while ethics is social in nature. For example, the term ‘medical ethics’ is used to describe the ‘rightness’ of actions in the field of medicine (Billington, 2003, p.19). However, there is no such thing as ‘medical morals’ (Billington, 2003, p.19). It is because even though ‘medical ethics’ are common for every practitioner in the field of medicine, the morals that drive them are different (Billington, 2003, p.19). Morals of one person practicing medicine can be different from morals of another person practicing medicine. People think that a person is moral when his behavior is based on the behavioral rules which are taught and encouraged by other people in the community (Whiteley, 1970, p.22). This is how the confusion between morality and ethics is formed. People fail to understand that when a person behaves in a certain way or thinks in a certain way, what drives him to do so is his morals and not the ethics. It is important to note that ethics does not drive human behavior as ethics originates from mind and not from the heart. Ethics Ethics is the intellectual process of studying the human behavior and human thoughts with the intention of understanding the rightness and wrongness in the behavior and the thoughts (Burtness, 1999, p.49). The aim of ethics is to solve different moral questions and issues by studying human behavior. It tries to draw conclusions regarding different aspects in human beings that lead them to behave in certain way or to think in certain way (Burtness, 1999, p.49). The aim of ethics is to form a standard set of rules and codes of behavior which can help people to behave or think in a ‘right’ way, when they face different situations in life. Hence, the values described in ethics are similar for every human being. However, the morals of an individual are different from others. Also, an important distinction between ethics and morals is that ethics is an ‘intellectual’ discipline while morals are based on ‘total’ self of a human being (Burtness, 1999, p.50). That is, the standards of ethics are formed after a lot of thinking, analyzing and reflecting on human behavior (Burtness, 1999, p.50). Morals are based on thoughts and ‘feelings’ of a person about a certain situation in life. Ethical values and ethical standards are formed with a conscious effort. Ethics are based on rational and logical thinking while morals are based on emotions, cultural background, environment, beliefs etc. Ethics is a reflection on the ‘morals’ in order to help find answers to different questions on morality in human life. Conclusion The discussion above clearly shows that the only similarity between ethics and morals is their foundation (rightness and the wrongness of human actions). Otherwise ethics and morals are completely different from each other. Ethics is a ‘theory’ of right and wrong actions and morals are the part of the conscience which drives human beings towards right action. Hence, morals are more important than ethics as they drive human being’s to take right actions while ethics is nothing but a theory of morals. Reference Billington, R. (2003). An Introduction to Moral Thought 3rd ed.). London: Routledge. Burtness, J.H. (1999). Consequences: Morality, Ethics and the Future. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Fite, W. (1903). An Introductory Study Of Ethics. Norwood Blass: Longman, Green, and Co. Whiteley, C.H. (1970). On Defining ‘Moral’. In G.Wallace & A.Walker. (Eds.), The Definition Of Morality (pp. 21-25). London: Methuen & Co Ltd. Read More