For many years I have always said that I am not a moral person, however, I am a moral person. But when I say, “I am not a moral person,” I would wait to see the person’s reaction to me saying that before adding, “However, I am a moral person.”
Typically, the person will wrinkle their brow and have a confused look on their face, after which I will begin to explain my thoughts on the difference between “ethics vs morality”.
The reason I choose not to judge my life on the basis of “morality” is because I believe there is a stark difference between ethics and ethics. Before you say, “This is a matter of semantics,” let me explain.
I’m really not playing the “word game” here. I see clearly in my mind the big difference between making your decision based on “morals” and making your decisions in life based on your personal ethics. The dictionary has the following:
Ethics: choosing principles of behavior as a guiding philosophy.
Ethics: Conformity to the standard of correct behavior.
Here is where I see the difference. Certainly, morals are rules and standards that we are told we must “follow” when determining “correct” behaviour. In other words, morality is dictated to us by either society or religion.
We are not free to think and choose. You either accept it or you don’t! Society and religion have taught us that you “shall not lie” or “you must give to the poor” or you must “love others as you would love others to love you” or you must do something because it is “your moral obligation.” The key issue with “ethics” is that you are expected to “uphold a standard of correct behaviour” and not question that “conformity” or that you are not an “ethical” person. But then again, where do these “morals” come from that we are expected to “conform” to? Yes, from society and/or religion, but not who you are, and that’s what bothers me.
Ethics, on the other hand, are the “principles of conduct” that you choose to govern your life as the guiding philosophy you have chosen for your life. Again, call them semantics if you like, but I see a big difference between “matching” and “choosing”. with MORALS “Been Thinking”; With ethics there is freedom to “think and choose” your own personal philosophy to guide your life conduct. I like watching movies about the “mafia” or TV shows like “The Sopranos”. The people in these shows are people who are extremely loyal to their families and religions, yet somehow “morally justified” their actions of killing, stealing, and lying.
How very devoted family men and loyal members of the Catholic faith think what they do is moral is a mystery to me. However, they wear “crosses”, crucify themselves, love their children, and dedicate themselves to “family” while killing people who get in their way. Now that’s an interesting moral. But the ethics don’t stop there. Think of all the hundreds of cultures that have very different ideas of morality. Some cultures think it is perfectly fine to have as many wives as you want; Some believe that only one wife is moral in the eyes of God.
Some cultures think it’s okay to steal if you need food; Other cultures believe that theft is theft and cannot be morally justified. Some cultures believe that the rule of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is good; Other cultures think this kind of moral reasoning is barbaric.
When you leave the moral reasoning behind society and religion, there is no such thing as “absolute morality.” So, is there such a thing as a 100% ethical person? I don’t think so, at least based on norms, culture, society and religion to tell us what our morals should be.
Ethics is another matter entirely. With ethics, you are free to choose your own personal philosophy of behavior to guide your life. You do not rely on society or religion’s “fear-based” judgment when making your moral decisions.
For example, I believe in telling the truth not because God might curse me, but because it is the right thing to do and the best thing to do based on my personal ethics. I believe in being faithful to my wife 100%, not because adultery is a sin, but because being true to your wife is the smart and right thing to do.
It is a better and happier way to live, again not because God will send me to Hell if I commit adultery, but because it is the right and best way to live my life based on my moral way of seeing things. I believe in upholding the laws of the land, however, I do not live my life based on the rules of society and religion, but only on the basis of a pragmatic and ethical lifestyle.
I do not abstain from stealing because I am afraid of going to jail. I don’t steal because I have decided not to steal on moral grounds. I should not be commanded to give to the poor. I care about giving and helping the poor on an ethical basis, I have the freedom to choose, and if I am smart, I will choose personal ethics that will enrich my life and the lives of others. As with all other freedoms, there is always the risk that I will make moral decisions that may cause me to drift to the “dark side”.
This is the problem with freedom of choice or free agency. Any time we allow people the freedom to choose, we also give them the freedom to make bad choices. If you want to make bad moral decisions that make you, and possibly others, unhappy, then you can. However, if you want to make a good moral decision that will make you and others happier, you are free to make those moral decisions as well. I choose personal morals to rule my life that make me the happiest, while striving to enrich the lives of others. It is the ethical thing to do based on the character’s morality. You don’t have to tell me not to lie, not to steal, not to kill, not to commit adultery, etc. I have already made my ethical decisions not to do these things.
You don’t have to tell me to give to the poor, love my neighbor and my enemies, use my free agency for good, etc. You have already made these personal moral decisions. I choose the Principles of Personal Conduct because I have thought of them. My morals are my morals, but interestingly enough, they always agree with society and religion. The only difference is that I made these decisions.
My personal thinking determines my morals. I made these moral choices. Not because society or religion told me to think a certain way but because I thought it was the best way to live a full and happy life. Freedom of thought is a wonderful concept. We should use this freedom more often. think about it.