Morality

Morality refers to the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are distinguished as proper and those that are improper. Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct from a particular philosophy, religion or culture, or it can derive from a standard that a person believes should be universal.^[1]

Definition[edit | edit source]

The word morality originates from the Latin word moralitas meaning "manner, character, and proper behavior". Morality may also be specifically synonymous with "goodness" or "rightness".^[2]

Descriptive and normative[edit | edit source]

In its descriptive sense, "morality" refers to personal or cultural values, codes of conduct or social mores from a society that provides these codes of conduct in which it applies and is accepted by an individual. It does not connote objective claims of right or wrong, but only refers to that which is considered right or wrong. Normative morality is the study of ethical action. It is the branch of philosophical ethics that investigates the set of questions that arise when considering how one ought to act, morally speaking.^[3]

Religion[edit | edit source]

Most religions have an assumed or codified set of moral codes. For example, the Ten Commandments from the Bible (Exodus 20:2–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21) are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and Christianity.

Philosophy[edit | edit source]

In philosophy, morality is the study of values and customs of a person or group. It covers the analysis of moral norms, moral values, and moral responsibility. It is divided into three primary areas: Meta-ethics, Normative ethics, and Applied ethics.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ "The Definition of Morality (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)". 2016-12-08. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
↑ "Morality (Online Etymology Dictionary)". 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
↑ "The Definition of Morality (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)". 2016-12-08. Retrieved 2021-05-10.

External links[edit | edit source]

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Morality

Morality Resources
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[1] "The Definition of Morality (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)". 2016-12-08. Retrieved 2021-05-10.

[2] "Morality (Online Etymology Dictionary)". 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-10.

[3] "The Definition of Morality (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)". 2016-12-08. Retrieved 2021-05-10.

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v t e Ethics
Normative ethics	Consequentialism Utilitarianism Deontology Kantian ethics Ethics of care Existentialist ethics Particularism Pragmatic ethics Role ethics Virtue ethics Eudaimonism
Applied ethics	Animal ethics Bioethics Business ethics Discourse ethics Engineering ethics Environmental ethics Legal ethics Machine ethics Media ethics Medical ethics Nursing ethics Professional ethics Sexual ethics Ethics of artificial intelligence Ethics of eating meat Ethics of technology Ethics of terraforming Ethics of uncertain sentience
Meta-ethics	Cognitivism Moral realism Ethical naturalism Ethical non-naturalism Ethical subjectivism Ideal observer theory Divine command theory Error theory Non-cognitivism Emotivism Expressivism Quasi-realism Universal prescriptivism Moral universalism Value monism – Value pluralism Moral relativism Moral nihilism Moral rationalism Ethical intuitionism Moral skepticism
Concepts	Autonomy Axiology Conscience Consent Equality Free will Good and evil Good Evil Happiness Ideal Immorality Justice Liberty Morality Norm Freedom Suffering or Pain Stewardship Sympathy Trust Value Virtue Wrong full index...
Philosophers	Laozi Socrates Plato Aristotle Diogenes Valluvar Cicero Confucius Augustine of Hippo Mencius Mozi Xunzi Thomas Aquinas Baruch Spinoza David Hume Immanuel Kant Georg W. F. Hegel Arthur Schopenhauer Jeremy Bentham John Stuart Mill Søren Kierkegaard Henry Sidgwick Friedrich Nietzsche G. E. Moore Karl Barth Paul Tillich Dietrich Bonhoeffer Philippa Foot John Rawls John Dewey Bernard Williams J. L. Mackie G. E. M. Anscombe William Frankena Alasdair MacIntyre R. M. Hare Peter Singer Derek Parfit Thomas Nagel Robert Merrihew Adams Charles Taylor Joxe Azurmendi Christine Korsgaard Martha Nussbaum more...
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