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[–] 1 point 6 months ago (3 children)

I'm gonna be a pedant here. I understand (I think) what you're trying to express and differentiate. It's just the words aren't perfectly accurate.

"Personal" ethics are morals. Ethics are community based standards or principles, morals are personal standards. Some people equate morals to religious guidelines or principles, but morals don't have to be religious (nor do distinctions of good and evil, right and wrong). Personal understanding of what is right or wrong is a moral standing. It is possible to have morals (personal belief) based on ethics (community standard), but they are still morals.

IMO, anyway.

Morals can be principally driven, and often are even in people that don't understand the principle that underlies an ethical standard. For instance, a conscientious objector might still defend themselves or others from personal violence. In this case the underlying principle is one of, say, political neutrality, or perhaps political opposition, not pacifism. And yet the person themselves might not be able to put into words why is okay to use violence one on one, but not militarily. I'm rambling

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  • [–] 2 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

    I’m gonna be a pedant here. I understand (I think) what you’re trying to express and differentiate. It’s just the words aren’t perfectly accurate.

    English is obviously not my first language, but reading the good old Wikipedia it seems to me the two are rather different (like they're in my own native French, btw ;): ethics and moral

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago (1 child)

    Neat! I'm gonna come back to this once I've finished work. I was using the OED definitions and understanding:

    Ethics – Rules of conduct in a particular culture or group recognised by an external source or social system. For example, a medical code of ethics that medical professionals must follow.

    Morals – Principles or habits relating to right or wrong conduct, based on an individual’s own compass of right and wrong.

    But this idea of an Aristotelian understanding of ethics vs morals is fascinating. Thank you for the link :-D

    Also it is not obvious from your original comment that English is a secondary language for you <3 French is on my bucket list, but I want to learn basic German first. Both for etymological reasons primarily

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago

    But this idea of an Aristotelian understanding of ethics vs morals is fascinating. Thank you for the link :-D

    You're more than welcome.

    Also it is not obvious from your original comment that English is a secondary language for you <3

    Thx (here you might want to add a blushing emoji, if there is such a thing)

    French is on my bucket list, but I want to learn basic German first. Both for etymological reasons primarily

    This would make sense.

    Plus, ignoring any other consideration, German language has produced quite a few remarkable authors/poets/philosophers that are more than worth (re)reading. I would not want to have to decide between French and German (or English) but I can understand the desire to prioritize one above the others.

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