Morals, Values, and Ethics

How do we measure the “rightness” of our behavior?

• Ethics provide a guiding philosophy. They are the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group based on a set of moral principles or values.
• Morals are the principles of right and wrong, manifested in behaviors or actions
• Values are the beliefs or attitudes that are intrinsically valuable or desirable, that remain unchanged over time (e.g., the “Golden Rule” of do unto others as you would have others do unto you).

A moral issue deals with behavior and can be thought of as a situation that has a right answer and a wrong answer, based on the shared values established by a group or community. Right vs. wrong issues can be readily solved if in fact the shared values are strong. However, these shared values have to be carefully defined.