Morality and ethics. What are the similarities and differences?

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The lives of people and their interaction with each other are regulated not only by written laws, but also by unspoken rules of behavior and communication in various situations. The set of such norms, not written down in documents, but regulating human behavior is called morality and morality. Let's find out what it is and what differences exist between these concepts. Ethics is the science that studies moral standards.

The material was prepared jointly with a teacher of the highest category, Ekaterina Valerievna Alexandrova.

Experience as a history and social studies teacher - 11 years.

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Morality and ethical similarities and differences

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The nature of values

Axiology is a philosophical doctrine that studies the nature of values. Its name comes from the Greek words axios (value) and logos (teaching). Axiology, like philosophy itself, has gone through a long stage of development and formation in the form in which it exists now. At different times, people's ideas about the concept in question varied. For example, during the period of ancient and medieval philosophy, values ​​and being were identified concepts.

Epochs changed, and with them the philosophical system itself changed . These changes left their mark on the very understanding of values. If in the Middle Ages everything that happened in a person’s life was associated with religion, then in the Renaissance, humanism was put at the forefront. Thus, each era had its own value system.

As can be seen from the above example, values ​​are of a social nature and are formed under the influence of a specific historical era and the activities of people during this period and earlier. In different centuries, the same concept was assessed differently. Values ​​are often formed under the influence of the environment and the people around us.

Detailed classification

The first classification involves division by attribute. In this case, what exactly is being assessed is considered, as well as on what basis such an assessment takes place. Based on this gradation, values ​​are distinguished:

1. Subject. These include what is important to the individual. Some things, objects, phenomena can be considered as objective values.
2. Subjective. Based on them, the subject evaluates this or that phenomenon. Subjective values ​​include legal norms, attitudes, requirements, and law.

Values ​​differ in scope and distribution. According to this criterion, moral, scientific and artistic types are distinguished.

Values ​​are also classified according to the number of subjects for whom a particular phenomenon is important. According to this type, they are divided into universal, inherent to all people, group and simply values. Group values ​​are those that relate to a certain circle of people. For example, religious ones are characteristic of people of a particular confession, while national ones presuppose a community based on nationality. This also includes age values.

Additional criteria

The next criterion divides values ​​into external and internal . This gradation is based on the degree to which people recognize them as their own goals. One of the main classifications of values ​​is their significance for the people themselves. Taking this criterion into account, they are divided into eternal and situational. The latter, as the name itself suggests, change under the influence of external factors—changes of eras and value orientations.

The last classification takes as a basis the functions that perform certain values. We can distinguish, for example, those that are used as a method of control in society as a whole or in individual groups, as well as values ​​as a way of orientation.

Definition of morality

Morals are the social, cultural and religious beliefs or values ​​of a person or group that tell us what is right or wrong. These are the rules and standards adopted by society or culture that we must follow when deciding what is right. Some moral principles:

• Do not cheat
• Be loyal
• Be patient
• Always tell the truth
• Be generous

Morality refers to beliefs that are not objectively correct, but which are considered correct for any situation. Therefore, it can be said that what is morally right cannot be objectively right.

Moral consciousness

Legal regulation is the regulation of human behavior by a system of laws. It ignores a vast area of ​​human relations, the so-called moral relations. For example, the law does not provide punishment for violating the rules of decency, rudeness, and so on. It is condemned by public or personal opinion.

Thus, the life of people in society is subject not only to legal, but also to moral principles of order, which are studied by ethics - the study of morality. Morality is a historically established system of unwritten laws, the main value form of social consciousness, reflecting generally accepted norms and assessments of human activity. The very principle of morality “obliges us to take care of the common good, for without this concern personal morality becomes selfish, i.e. immoral." The commandment of moral excellence is given to us once and for all in the Word of God, not so that we can scare it or dilute it with our own talk, but so that we can do something to implement moral commandments in the environment in which we we live, that is, in other words, the moral principle must necessarily be realized in social activity”[1]. A moral person is a person who cares about the common good.

A moral person is endowed with a responsive conscience and an amazing ability for self-control. The mechanism of conscience eliminates the dichotomy of personality. Let's take the example of a criminal in court. He is, according to me. Kant, “may omit as much as he pleases of his offensive behavior, which he remembers as an unintentional mistake, as a simple negligence that can never be completely avoided, that is, as something in which he was entangled by the current of natural necessity, to think that he is innocent"; And yet he sees that the lawyer, when speaking on his behalf, can by no means silence his accuser if he realizes that, although he committed an untruth, he was of sound mind, that is, of sound mind. That is, he could use his freedom of choice.”[2].

Moral consciousness includes the principles and norms of morality. Thus, morality is both a separate aspect of a person’s objective relations, his actions, and a form of consciousness. We are talking about moral action and moral ideas, concepts. Moral consciousness has a complex structure, the elements of which are moral categories, moral feelings, and the moral ideal as the perception and concept of the highest manifestation of morality, arising from the social ideal of an ideal world order.

The most important manifestation of a person’s moral life is a sense of responsibility towards other people and oneself. The rules that guide people in their relationships are moral standards; they are formed spontaneously and act like unwritten laws - everyone follows them as needed. It is both a measure of what society demands from people and a measure of reward for merit in the form of recognition or condemnation. The proper measure of demand or reward is justice—it is simply the punishment of the criminal; it is unfair to demand more from a person than he can give; there is no justice outside the equality of men before the law.

Morality presupposes relative free will, which provides the possibility of conscious choice of a specific position, decision and responsibility for an action. If human behavior were fatally predetermined by supernatural forces, external conditions or innate instincts, as, for example, in insects, then there would be no point in talking about the moral assessment of actions. But morality could not exist if human actions were not conditioned by anything, if the element of absolute free will prevailed, i.e. total arbitrariness. Then there would be no social norms, including moral ones.

Morals, principles and values ​​ultimately express and reinforce the rules of behavior developed by people in work and in social relations. Morality originated in mores, which established those actions that, based on the experience of generations, turned out to be useful for the preservation and development of society and man, and also satisfied the needs and interests of historical progress. Morality acted as a spontaneously generalized and stable way of acting for people, as their morality.

Definition of Morality

Morality is a branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of behavior of an individual or group. This works as a guiding principle to decide what is good or bad. These are the standards that govern a person's life. Morality is also known as moral philosophy. Some moral principles:

• Truthfulness
• Honesty
• Loyalty
• Respect
• Justice
• Integrity

Key Differences Between Morality and Ethics

The main differences between morality and morality are as follows:

1. Morality deals with what is "right or wrong." Morality deals with what is "good or evil."
2. Morals are general guidelines created by society. For example, we must tell the truth and not lie. Conversely, morality is a response to a specific situation. For example, is it moral to assert the truth in a particular situation?
3. The term "morality" comes from the Greek word "mos", which refers to customs, and customs are determined by a group of people or some authority. On the other hand, morality comes from the Russian word "nrav", which refers to character, and character is an attribute.
4. Morality is dictated by society, culture or religion. And morality is chosen by the person himself, who controls his life.
5. Morality is concerned with the principles of good and evil. On the contrary, morality emphasizes right and wrong behavior
6. Since morality is framed and developed by the group, there is no opportunity to think and choose. The individual can either accept or refuse. Conversely, a person is free to think and choose the principles of his life in morality.
7. Morality can vary from society to society and from culture to culture. This is in contrast to morality, which remains the same regardless of culture, religion or society.
8. Morality has nothing to do with business. While morality is widely applied at work.
9. Morality is expressed in the form of statements. But morality is not expressed in the form of statements.

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What signs distinguish a hypocrite from a moral person?

Demonstrative behavior

High moral standards and strict moral principles are not needed by bigots in order to live in accordance with ideas about justice, good and evil. Their main goal is to show themselves in the best light, emphasizing their exclusivity and superiority. In this they are helped by the demonstrativeness of A.G. Krasnov. Phariseeism as a moral and ethical concept. Culture. Spirituality. A society of demonstrated “virtues.”

Thus, hypocrites may reproach people with low wages or obesity, saying that they themselves are to blame for their problems. At the same time, the bigots themselves may never have encountered either poverty or excess weight. This type of “Here I am…” statement is often called the white coat phenomenon.

Formal perception of postulated norms

The formalism of bigots regarding norms and rules is directly related to demonstrative behavior. Without understanding their essence, such people blindly follow the established canons. Thus, a formalist teacher will require students not to understand the meaning of the paragraph, but to memorize it, not to show creativity and originality, but to follow rules that are specific to the point of absurdity.

The norm for being a prude is a reason to label others. At the same time, he cares little about the internal content hidden behind them. For example, if people cohabit without getting married, it means they are debauchees. The prude doesn’t care that the couple can be satisfied with everything, and some unregistered relationships are much happier than official ones.

Double standards

There is another side to the formalism of bigots. What they demand from others can Krasnova A.G. Phariseeism as a moral and ethical concept. Culture. Spirituality. Society is considered optional for oneself. For example, while condemning violence in video games and films that supposedly spoil the psyche of teenagers, a bigot happily consumes the same content and sees nothing wrong with it.

The vagueness and ambiguity of such concepts as morality, spirituality, justice, honesty, decency creates fertile ground for sanctimonious insinuations. This, coupled with demagogy, allows you to interpret any events and actions in your favor, says A.G. Krasnova. Pharisaism as a moral and ethical concept. Culture. Spirituality. Society is about its own positive qualities, but denies them to other people.

A prude can judge girls in “too revealing” clothes on the street, but at the same time admire candid photos on the Internet; condemn swearing, but use foul language, explaining it with your own reasons. This behavior is most eloquently described by the meme “You don’t understand, this is different!”

Examples of behavior

• If the son of a major politician committed a crime. And the politician uses his powers to free his son from legal consequences. Then this act is immoral because the politician is trying to save the criminal.
• A very close friend or relative of the interviewer comes to the interview. And, without asking a single question, he chooses it. This act is not moral. Because the selection process must be transparent and impartial.
• A grocer sells adulterated products to its customers to earn more profit. This act is neither moral nor ethical. Because he is deceiving his clients and the profession at the same time.

Every person has some principles that help him cope with any adverse situation throughout his life. These are known as moral principles. On the other hand, morality is not hard and fast rules. Or very strict, but they are the rules that most people consider correct. This is why people accept them widely. This is all to distinguish morality from morality.

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Moral consciousness is of a value nature, that is, each moral norm and actions performed on its basis are associated with an absolute coordinate system - goodness, goodness, justice - and are assessed in accordance with how close they are to perfection.

Morality is not just a system of ideas about the absolute good; moral consciousness encourages a person to strive for this good; it says: “You must”; Moral consciousness, therefore, has an obligatory element; it prescribes and prohibits.

Moral sanctions do not have the character of an external force.

According to the biblical parable, when a sinful woman was brought to Christ, he asked her accusers who were the first to throw a stone at her, knowing that he himself was without sin. Nobody dared to do this. Christ, the only one untouched by sin, was finally alone with the woman. But even He did not fulfill the punishment prescribed by customs, but only said: “And I do not condemn you; go and sin not.” Christ is the bearer of true moral conscience, therefore He seeks to awaken a feeling of guilt in the soul of a sinner.

A system of actual punishments and rewards, or the threat of future punishment, are extramoral sanctions. Even public condemnation is usually external pressure on the one who committed an immoral act. The highest judge of a person is himself. But only then will the internal sanction applied by a person to himself become an expression of morality when he condemns himself from the position of absolute kindness and absolute justice, that is, from the position of the universal law that he has violated. But, as a rule, moral judgment in reality is rarely limited to action. To this may be added public condemnation or approval, legal sanctions, and sanctions of a church-religious nature.

Moral conscience and behavior are universal and unconditional. Moral commandments must be observed by everyone without exception and unconditionally. In morality there are no “doers” and “legislators”; there are no “appropriate” or “inappropriate” situations for moral behavior.

Moral action is always intentional. You can't do a good deed by accident. The motive of behavior, and not only and not so much its external result, becomes the object of moral assessment. Of course, this consciousness differs from the reasoning of the theorist. It is enough to tell myself that I am doing this because I can’t do anything about it, or because my conscience is tormenting me. But every possessor of a moral conscience knows that he does something of his own free will, that is, from internal moral motives, and not from considerations of profit, from fear of some external threat, or from a vain desire to win the approval of other people.

In The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by O. Wilde, Dorian, horrified by the portrait that magically preserves his vicious soul, decides to change his behavior. But Dorian Gray's motives did not go beyond the desire to simply look different; he didn't want to truly transform himself. And the magical portrait - the face of his soul - has not changed. Only in the features of the portrait did an expression of cunning and lies appear.

The free will of the bearer of moral consciousness, his autonomy in relation to nature and the social environment, centrally expresses the entire peculiarity of morality. Free will is the result of the above characteristics of morality. This implies consciousness of behavior, the ability to be the supreme judge of oneself, to overcome the force of habit, custom, public opinion, as if “not noticing” the influence of natural and social circumstances. Of course, free will does not imply absolute independence from external circumstances. On the contrary, a real subject of moral consciousness sometimes acts, knowing that the results of his action will be reduced to zero by the inexorable force of external circumstances, that he most likely will not be able to save a drowning person, that he is not strong enough to save his friend from disaster. But a moral person acts despite the circumstances.