Definitions of Ethics, professional ethics and morals

Ethics is a set of moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity. It is the branch of philosophy that deals with moral principles. Professional ethics, on the other hand, refers to the ethical standards and codes of conduct that govern the behavior of individuals in a particular profession. These standards are set by professional organizations to ensure that their members uphold the values and principles of the profession. Morals, on the other hand, refer to an individual’s personal beliefs about what is right and wrong. While ethics are generally considered to be universal principles that apply to everyone, morals can vary from person to person based on their upbringing, culture, and personal beliefs. An example of ethics could be a doctor adhering to the principle of beneficence by always acting in the best interest of their patients. Professional ethics could be a lawyer following the code of conduct set by the American Bar Association to maintain confidentiality and advocate for their clients to the best of their abilities. Morals could be a person believing that lying is always wrong, regardless of the circumstances. According to a survey conducted by the Ethics Resource Center, 41% of employees reported witnessing unethical behavior in the workplace. This statistic highlights the importance of having strong ethical standards in professional settings to ensure that individuals are held accountable for their actions. An analogy to understand ethics, professional ethics, and morals could be that ethics are like the rules of a game that everyone must follow, professional ethics are the specific rules that apply to players in a particular profession, and morals are the personal beliefs that guide an individual’s actions on and off the field. A verifiable fact related to ethics is that the American Medical Association (AMA) has a Code of Medical Ethics that outlines the ethical principles and guidelines that physicians must follow to ensure the highest standard of patient care and professionalism.