Ethics vs Morality
Discussion
Forrest Landry:
"Ethics: organized thought concerned with the study of, and adherence to, the principles of effective choice. Ethics is the study of the principles of the most effective means of self-expression, in both words and actions. It is about how to make one's choices more effective, for all of oneself and for all others, in both form and feeling.
In contrast, morality is an externally defined set of rules in a particular domain, generally applicable to all selves in that domain. Morality also refers to the apparent degree that the choices of a given self happen to adhere to those rules. Morality is the application of a collection of statements or codes which (hopefully) represent the principles of ethics in terms appropriate to that specific domain/world.
Rather than being about public/visable actions within a domain, ethics is internal to oneself and independent of any particular domain.
The relationship between ethics and morals is similar to the relationship between philosophy (metaphysics) and science (physics). Ethics is always the ultimate basis for any moral, statutory, or civil code in much the same way that the scientific method (a theorem of metaphysics) is always the ultimate basis for any physics.
A statement of ethics is a statement of principle. It originates from and has its basis within self.
In contrast, a statement of morals is a statement of statutory or civil law. A statement of morality originates from and has its basis within a specific world, domain, or culture. It is a command or directive to be followed by all selves in that world.
The study of ethics is ultimately about identifying and applying the principles of effective choice. It is not about whether any given choice is 'right' or 'wrong' in some absolute sense. Only morality can be considered in such a binary (unconscious) manner."