Ethics and Morality
Ethics represents the moral code that guides a person’s choices and behaviors throughout their life. The idea of a moral code extends beyond the individual to include what is determined as right and wrong for a community or society at large.
Ethics is concerned with rights, responsibilities, the use of language, what it means to live an ethical life, and how people make moral decisions. We may think of moralizing as an intellectual exercise, but more frequently it's an attempt to make sense of our gut instincts and reactions. It's a subjective concept, and many people have strong and stubborn beliefs about what's right and wrong that can place them in direct contrast to the moral beliefs of others. Yet even though morals may vary from person to person, religion to religion, and culture to culture, many are universal, stemming from basic human emotions.
The Science of Being Virtuous
Those who are considered morally good are said to be virtuous, holding themselves to high ethical standards, while those viewed as morally bad are thought of as wicked, sinful, or even criminal. Morality was a key concern of Aristotle, who first studied questions such as “What is moral responsibility?” and “What does it take for a human being to be virtuous?” Researchers today believe that the central concern of all moral codes is the perceived threat of harm.
We used to think that people are born with a blank slate, but research has shown that people have an innate sense of morality. Of course, parents and society can nurture and develop morality and ethics in children.
Humans are ethical and moral regardless of religion and God. People are not fundamentally good, nor are they fundamentally evil. However, a Pew study found that atheists are much less likely than theists to believe that there are "absolute standards of right and wrong." In effect, atheism does not undermine morality, but the atheist's conception of morality may depart from that of the traditional theist.
Animals are like humans—and humans are animals, after all. Many studies have been conducted across animal species, and more than 90 percent of their behavior can be identified as “prosocial” or positive. Plus, you won’t find mass warfare in animals as you do in humans. Hence, in a way, it can be said that animals are more moral than humans.
The examination of moral psychology involves the study of moral philosophy, but the field is more concerned with how a person comes to make a right or wrong decision, rather than what sort of decisions he or she should have made. Character, reasoning, responsibility, and altruism, among other areas, also come into play, as does the development of morality.
Understanding Amorality
The seven deadly sins were first enumerated in the sixth century by Pope Gregory I and represent the sweep of immoral behavior. Also known as the cardinal sins or seven deadly vices, they are vanity, jealousy, anger, laziness, greed, gluttony, and lust. People who demonstrate these immoral behaviors are often said to be flawed in character. Some modern thinkers suggest that those who engage most in moralistic rhetoric may not necessarily engage most in moral behavior.
An amoral person has no sense of, or care for, what is right or wrong. There is no regard for either morality or immorality. Conversely, an immoral person knows the difference, yet he does the wrong thing, regardless. The amoral politician, for example, has no conscience and makes choices based on their own personal needs, oblivious to whether their actions are right or wrong.
In a 2016 scandal, Wells Fargo Bank created fraudulent savings and checking accounts for millions of clients, unbeknownst to them. One could argue that the bank's actions were amoral if the bank had no sense of right or wrong. Of course, if the bank knew what it was doing all along, then its actions would be labeled immoral.
Everyone tells white lies to a degree, and often the lie is done for the greater good. But the Pareto principle—also known as the 80/20 rule or the law of the vital few—is based on the observation that the vast majority of outcomes are the consequence of a small percentage of inputs. In other words, 20 percent of people tell the lion’s share of lies.
We do know what is right from wrong. If you harm and injure another person, that is wrong. However, what is right for one person may well be wrong for another. A good example is the religious conservative who thinks that a woman’s right to her body is morally wrong. In this case, one’s ethics are based on one’s values, and the moral divide between values can be vast.
The Stages of Moral Development
In 1958, psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg established a framework for understanding moral development. He proposed that moral understanding and behavior develop in a series of stages. This framework, still in use, has led to much research into moral psychology. Kohlberg's work addresses the process of how we think of right and wrong and is based on Jean Piaget's theory of moral judgment for children.
His stages include pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional, and what we learn in one stage is integrated into the subsequent stages. Parenting practices strongly influence moral development.
The pre-conventional stage is driven by obedience and punishment. This is a child's view of what is right or wrong. Examples of this thinking: “I hit my brother, and I received a time-out.” “How can I avoid punishment?” “What's in it for me?”
The conventional stage involves accepting societal views on rights and wrongs. In this stage, people follow rules with a good boy and nice girl orientation. An example of this thinking: “Do it for me.” This stage also includes law-and-order morality: “Do your duty.”
The post-conventional stage is more abstract and not necessarily achieved by all: “Your right and wrong is not my right and wrong.” This stage goes beyond social norms, and an individual develops their own moral compass, sticking to personal principles of what is ethical or not.
