DEFINITIONS OF ETHICS

Ethics has been defined in various ways. The purpose of a definition is to describe its subject concisely and yet completely. Although there are many definitions of Ethics, a common thread runs through them. They are in fact different ways of looking at Ethics. We begin our discussion with some common definitions of Ethics. These definitions will help us in getting an overview of Ethics which in turn will enable us to look at moral questions and issues in an appropriate perspective.

According to one common definition, Ethics studies the norms or standards of right and wrong used to judge actions. Norms or standards are also called criteria or principles. Moral judgments evaluate actions as right or wrong; or they may evaluate human ends, motives and goals as good or bad. We often make moral judgements in many different situations. To take a simple example, X notices that Y, his neighbour, has forgetfully left his purse behind. X is strongly tempted to pocket the purse and the money, but he resists the temptation. In doing so, he makes a moral judgement

i.e. that it is wrong to take what is not one’s own. This example presents a simple moral problem. From this perspective, Ethics can also be regarded as a study of moral problems which men face.

In another view, Ethics deals with conduct viewed as right or wrong, good or bad. Conduct in Ethics means ‘moral conduct’, or the ‘moral life’. Elaborating this idea, we can say that Ethics gives a systematic account of our judgments about conduct viewed from the standpoint of right or wrong, good or bad. These judgements take two forms. One type of judgement is about conduct as revealed in individual acts or events or simply on individual or particular actions. The other type of judgement is not about particular actions but about what standards or norms are appropriate for morally evaluating human motives, ends and actions. Ethics is primarily concerned with these standards that regulate our judgments of right and wrong.