What is meant by “moral” and “ethical”?
When the words “morals” and “ethics” are used to describe human action, there is often a hesitation about just what is being referred to. The two words seem different and yet similar. Morals derives from the Latin and ethics from the Greek. Although scholars differ on whether the words primarily refer to customs of the people or character, it is clear that both words refer to the same thing. In modern times, “morals” has often been used to refer to the values of a culture, or moral community, that are passed on from generation to generation with some gradual change. “Ethics” has often been used to refer to the systematic analysis of the values held as important by a moral community. In healthcare ethics, or bioethics, the terms are often used as equivalent and therefore interchangeable. This module will generally use “morals” to refer to the value system that informs a person or an organization and “ethics” to refer to the systematic analysis of the values and how they function in deci
