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.

Definition

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".

Descriptive and normative

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.

Religion

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

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.

See also

• Ethics
• Moral psychology
• Moral realism
• Moral relativism
• Moral skepticism
• Moral universalism

External links

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Morality

Morality Resources
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