A simplified distinction of ethics, Morality and the law

By : Samane Jnr Marks

(Sourced from Ethics Morality Law - Search (bing.com Accessed on the 9th of Sept 2022)

The intersection of these three concepts namely morality, law and ethics are terms primarily used interchangeably. But these phrases have quite different meanings.

However, despite the various ways in which these concepts are used interchangeably, they relate to good and wrong behaviour.

I shall discuss the connection between ethics, morality, and the law in this essay. My primary explanation of these words would be focused on their simple definitions, connections between them, and influences on one another, all in line with example that further illustrate the connections between these three concepts.

Ethics can briefly be defined as the rules provided by an external source primarily the codes of conduct in workplaces or a set of moral code and principles in religions.

Morals is defined or rather referred to as an individual's own principles regarding what is right and wrong. It is further explained as the set of standards that enable people to live cooperatively in groups.

The law is referred as the collective constituencies of rules that governs the whole society and the societal actions of its individual members.

The ethical philosophy began in the fifth century BCE in accordance of the History of ethics.

The appearance of Socrates, a secular prophet whose self-appointed mission was to awaken his fellow men to the need for rational criticism of their beliefs and practices.

The principle of ethics is that branch of philosophy that deals with what ought to be done.

The ethical principle is an area in which everyone makes judgments about both private and public matters to define what is wrong or right. What forms of conduct are good and with personal values and individual character according to the study of (De Beer, 1993: 250).

The distinctions between ethics and law are slightly different. When it comes to what is right or wrong and how to act, ethics is the set of rules that apply to a certain community of doctors, lawyers, lecturers, or students. Unlike ethics, the law primarily centres on justice and only briefly addresses other issues.

It is the systematic body of rules that governs people irrespective on one’s believes especially in the South Africa the constitution is what we abide by as citizens.

Morality and the law are closely related. Laws are often founded on the above moral values of society. Both principles govern how a person should behave in public. They greatly affect one another.

According to research, judgment and fairness are what separate the law from morality (Merril and Lee 1994). Morality is applied to a person. It is a way of categorizing actions as either right or wrong depending on a particular religion.

while the law is a list of items the Constitution specifies that people must do or not do. Moral beliefs may be influenced by a person's religion or upbringing as a result, they differ from person to person.

It does not mean that a culture's rules are not ethically grounded just because they express beliefs that may be contradictory to what is morally right. Even if the laws are founded on widely accepted but flawed moral concepts, they may nonetheless be unethical.

The study of Lowenstein bestows that ethics should, set forth guidelines, rules, norms, codes, and principles in the journalism industry that will lead journalists to make moral decisions. They should not be forced to do so.

The Media ethics is a long and a difficult shot to journalists due to its normative science of conduct in terms of how they should cover stories.

Its impact is vastly negative on a numerous journalist’s believes and religious practices of many journalists.

All these rules and practices conflict with people's own morals and religious beliefs, yet media entities include them in its guidelines, which puts many media practitioners in a difficult position. As they encounter challenging circumstances every day, journalists are badly affected.

So, to promote and guarantee that journalists report in a suitable ethical way.

The constitution of South Africa should recognise the media's independence and attempts to protect journalists' standards from undue pressure of publishers.