Ethics and Values: A Note on Comparison of Similarities and Differences

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Ethics and Values A Note on Comparison of
Similarities and Differences
Satjit Kumar Writes informational articles on
hindu ethics, understanding Samanya dharma, hindu
dharma, duties common to all along with others on
finance, health and cultivating wisdom.
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Ethics and values are two of the most important
fundamental aspects of human life that lay the
foundation of sustainability in society. While
ethics determine what is correct, values decide
what is important. By helping us lead a
systematic way of life, they effectively
contribute to developing ones personality and
attitude towards society. Importance of Ethics
Values Ethics and values act as pillars of
foundation in our decision-making processes that
steer our interactions with others. Heartening
the subtlety of ethical principles and personal
values is crucial for navigating complex moral
dilemmas in our society and fostering meaningful
inter and intra-personal relationships. Ethics
necessarily focus on guiding behaviour and
influencing decision-making within specific
contexts involving considerations of right and
wrong conduct. On the other hand, values
represent deeply held beliefs that influence
attitudes and behaviours across various aspects
of life. Ethics provide a platform for moral
reasoning and action, whereas values give shape
to individual or collective priorities and
preferences.
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Let us now explore both ideas, delve into their
similarities and differences and illuminate the
significance of embracing diversity in ethics and
values by examining various ethical frameworks
their practical applications and cultural
influences. What is Ethics? The word ethics gets
its name from the Greek word ethos, which means
character, ideals or morals of an individual or a
section of individuals in a society. Simply
explaining ethics is a study of moral behaviour
that defines what is right and wrong in the
conduct of an individual by judging them on the
basis of standards set by society.
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Features of Ethics 1. Ethics involves the
application and exploration of basic moral
principles, like respect for others, fairness,
honesty, integrity, responsibility, and
kindness. 2. Ethical principles can differ for
individuals and among cultures and religions as
they are often subjective. Thus diverse societies
and belief systems may have distinctive ethical
frameworks. 3. As own moral code and values,
personal ethics influences how people make
decisions, treat others and steer through ethical
issues in their personal and professional
lives. What are Values? Values are principles or
deeply held beliefs considered important and
desirable by people. As guiding principles, they
influence our decision-making, attitudes and
behaviours across various facets of life. Values
are shaped by a combination of factors from
family background to cultural upbringing,
education, and personal experiences.
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Features of Values 1. Values guide the choices
and actions of individuals, shaping their
interactions, priorities, and preferences with
others and have a significant influence on their
attitudes, behaviours, and decision-making. 2.
Different individuals may prioritize and
interpret values differently based on their prior
experiences, backgrounds and perspectives. Values
are also subjective as well as deeply personal
thereby reflecting beliefs and experiences at an
individual level. 3. Values represent the
collective faith of a particular community or
culture and contribute largely to its identity.
They are influenced by cultural traditions and
societal expectations to a large
extent. Similarities between Ethics and
Values The idea or concept of value is included
within the domain and application of ethics. The
source of both the words is our intuitions of
goodness and their applications in our lives.
Both ethics and values teach humans to be better
people in every aspect of life. Ethics demand us
to have and show respect for others while value
portrays this ethical behaviour.
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Differences between Ethics and Values 1. Ethics
is fairly simple and pretty black and white.
Ethical is something that is right and unethical
is something that is wrong. Values meanwhile is
not so much about what is right or wrong. It is
more about what one prefers or is comfortable
with without being unethical. Different people
have different roles in society and having
suitable values may help them do their roles
better. 2. Ethics are concerned with
differentiating right and wrong conduct within a
particular realm, such as medical or professional
ethics. Values are a broader range of principles
that guide decision-making processes, attitudes,
and behaviours spanning various aspects of life
from personal to societal domains. 3. Ethics are
universal for everyone and uniform everywhere. On
the other hand, values are not consistent and
differ in person. 4. Ethics are formalized into
codes of conduct or legal regulations and are
derived from cultural, religious, philosophical,
or legal domains. Values may not necessarily have
a moral component.
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