Law is intended to, at a fundamental level, reflect and enforce the
moral and ethical standards of a civilised society. The first thing that
should be understood is the slight difference between morals and
ethics.
Morality
Morality deals with that which is regarded as right or wrong.
Morality stems from an individual's conscience and from the values of a
given society, which might be based on religious tradition or on
political principles such as democracy or socialism. Moral conduct would
be that which is considered 'right' based on people's consciences and
society's shared values. Morality is one way for a community to define
appropriate activity.
Ethics
Ethics (from the Ancient Greek word ethikos meaning
'theory of living'), is a type of philosophy which attempts to figure
out that right versus wrong in any given situation or scenario. In
general terms, ethics are practical moral standards that distinguish
right from wrong, and give us a guide to living 'moral' lives. These
standards might include duties that we should follow, such as fidelity
in marriage, or the consequences of our behaviour on others. The act of
embezzling money from a company, for example, is not only a legal
wrongdoing against the company but also an action that could result in
people losing their jobs. In more specific terms, some of the more
difficult ethical questions on which a government might legislate could
include issues relating to abortion, euthanasia and animal rights.
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