Comparison and Contrast between Ethics, Morals, and Values by Providing Examples from the Individual - Essay Example

Though the terms ethics, morality, and values look the same, all three vary from one another in meaning, nature, and scope, which have been elaborated as follows:Ethics: The term ethics simply stands for the rules or principles prescribed, adopted and followed by some specific group, community or nation, and violation of which at the hands of any member invites the disliking and displeasure of the rest of the group or community.

Hence, ethics stands for the behavioral traits and code of conduct, breaking of which does not come under the definition of the breaking of law or religious belief, though it earns censure and condemnation at the hands of others. For instance, legal ethics discourage lawyers to display any prejudiced behavior towards any specific faction of society based on their racial, ethnic, religious, or political background or sexual orientation, etc while dealing with clients, co-workers, and other members of society.

 For instance, looking after the patients is a professional obligation of the doctors and nurses while taking all their needs and requirements into consideration for providing them with unabated comfort comes under the definition of moral obligations.

Reaching one’s duty on time and paying due heed to one’s assignments and tasks also come under moral obligation. Moreover, a teacher is supposed to be coaching the students within the classroom. However, assisting them regarding matters related to their studies is the part of moral duty the teacher is ethically bound to provide even outside the classroom and beyond the premises of the educational institution. Additionally, morals also represent something related to goodness, charity, and virtue.

For instance, drinking, gambling, adultery, homicide, and others are vehemently turned down by morality at a universal level in all human societies without discrimination. Values: Synonymous with ethics and morals, values simply mean the established pattern of behavior to be strictly followed by all the members of society in their everyday life. Though society does not impose punishments and penalties on defiance of these sets of conduct, this established conduct serves as the identification mark and symbol of distinction for some specific culture, religion, or society.

For instance, wearing appropriate dresses to cover the entire body is an essential element among Muslims. Similarly, providing aid and guiding even strangers is a formidable part of the Christian ethical values, defiance from which is considered to be deviance from the right path of wisdom and glory. The values with which we are primarily concerned are liberty, autonomy, privacy, informed consent, and equality. (nuffieldbioethics.org)The industry I Work in: I have been working as a lawyer for the last six years, where I undergo ethical issues time and again.

Somehow, I strictly observe professional ethics without making any compromises on it. Once an African American male consulted me as a client, with a complaint made against the racial prejudice observed by his white employer at his workplace. Though I also belong to the white race, I defended my client with unflinching enthusiasm and claimed benefits and compensation for the black client. My community did not like my efforts being made against my people, yet I supported the truth and justice rather than displaying any biased towards other ethnic-racial communities.

“Ethical codes generally refer to basic philosophical notions and professional norms about the morality of human conduct.” (Weithorn & McCabe, 1987) Another ethical issue appeared while my working as a community attorney, during which I had to plead a case against a fellow lawyer, who was involved in an embezzlement case. Being the office-bearer of the District Bar, he had the support of an overwhelming majority of the lawyers. Somehow, I had accepted to fight the case of the client, so I did not feel any hesitation to plead for a just cause against my fellow lawyer.