• About Project
  • Testimonials

Business Management Ideas

The Wisdom Post

Essay on Moral Values

List of essays on moral values, essay on moral values – short essay for kids and children (essay 1 – 150 words), essay on moral values – written in english (essay 2 – 250 words), essay on moral values – for school students (class 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 standard) (essay 3 – 300 words), essay on moral values (essay 4 – 400 words), essay on moral values –  importance in society and challenges (essay 5 – 500 words), essay on moral values – how to cultivate and inculcate it in human beings (essay 6 – 600 words), essay on moral values (essay 7 – 750 words), essay on moral values – long essay (essay 8 – 1000 words).

Moral values are the key essence of life and it is these values that come along with us through the journey of life. Moral values are basically the principles that guide our life in the righteous path and do not allow us to do any harm to others.

Audience: The below given essays are especially written for kids, children and school students (Class 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 Standard).

Moral values define the humankind. Moral values empower us to stand as the most unique creatures in the whole animal kingdom. These values are the basis to almost every religion. Thousands of years ago, Buddha described the essence of moral values in his sermons and spread it all over the world.

Since our childhood, we are taught about the good habits and their powers by the elders at home and school. Some of the most significant moral values are kindness, honesty, truthfulness, selflessness, compassion, and love.

The things we learn as a child mould us as an adult. That is why it is crucial to inculcate the pious values in the children. For the younger generation to be transformed into citizens with mighty characters, they must possess strong ethical and moral values. Only then, we can dream of making India great and emerge as an ethical leader in the world.

So, from where do we get these moral values?

Moral values are the first thing that every child learns from their homes . What is right and what is wrong is something that we see and learn from our parents as well as from our own experiences. Many religions preach moral values are part of their belief systems.

Importance of Moral Values

Moral values are very important to each and everyone because it is these values that transform us into better human beings.

i. Without knowing and learning moral values, we will not be able to differentiate between good and bad.

ii. Moral values define us and help us to be surrounded by good people.

iii. One who practices moral values will have courage to handle any situation in life.

Role of Parents

Parents of today think that providing all luxuries to their children is their only responsibility. But they miss to offer them the most important wealth – moral values. When parents deny this, they fail in their duty to give a good human being to the society.

Honesty, kindness, truthfulness, forgiveness, respect for others, helping others etc., are some of the moral values that every parent must teach their children.

“It is not what you do for your children , but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings” – Ann Landers.

Moral Values are the practices followed by human beings to be good and to live in a society. Moral values or ethics, are taught to us by our parents and teachers. These include being honest, kind, respecting others, helping those in need, being faithful and cooperating with others, to name a few, are good moral values.

What are Moral Values?

The norms of what is right or good and what is wrong or bad, define the moral values which are based on many factors like region, society, religious beliefs, culture etc. These defined norms tell the people how they must act or behave in different situations and expect similar behaviours form others.

Importance of Moral Values:

Moral values give an aim to life. Knowing difference between right and wrong is the foundation to imbibe moral values, which are taught from the birth, and bring out the best in individuals.

Moral Values in Workplace:

In every workplace, people look for individuals with good moral values. For a job interview, the interviewer looks for a candidate with good moral values. Every organization has a defined ethical code of conduct that the people in the organization are expected to follow, in addition to basic societal moral values. Organizations with people having good moral values runs more systematically and efficiently.

Moral Value in coming Generations:

People are not aware or conscious about moral values and have different outlook towards life. Parents and teachers are too busy to inculcate moral values in younger generations.

Conclusion:

Moral values are a type of law defined by the culture, society or other factors, to guide individuals on how to or not to behave in daily life. Sometimes, one may have different views and feel the moral guidelines too harsh or wrong. Such guidelines should be advocated for the good of the society.

Moral values are those characters or values seeded in a person’s mind and behavior towards oneself, others and on the whole. It can be the way a person consider other person’s life and space or the way they value each other’s feelings. The basic moral values like honesty, kindness, respect towards others, helpful mannerism, etc., will be the keys to be noted to judge a person’s character.

Moral values are the main characteristics that define the goodness in a person. These should be taught by the parents and teachers to the kids from their childhood. Moral values will help everyone in taking better decisions in life and attain the heights in an ethical way.

Instead of just thinking about our success and goals, moral values will give us the courage to take into account other’s happiness too. A person with better moral values is motivated and finds all possible ways to spread good vibes in and around them as well. Suppressing the people around you for attaining the goals you desire is the most dangerous violation of moral values.

Importance:

A person without moral values is considered to possess a bad character and the society will start to judge the person due to this behavior. This competitive world of ours has made every moral value in a person to die for their own development and growth. Such inhuman and unethical activities like dishonesty, telling lies for your own benefit, hurting others and even worst things, should be avoided.

Inculcating the importance of moral values in a kid from their growing age will help them in sticking to those values forever. It is a necessity of our society to bear such responsible youths and younger generations with good moral values so that they will help our nation to attain better heights.

This society of ours is filled with immoral people who find every scope to deceive others through their activities. The young ones learn more things by observing their elders and they mimic the way their elders behave. It is the responsibility of elders like parents, teachers, etc., to grow a future generation with more moral values seeded in them by improving their own behavior.

Moral values can be taught to students by making them listen and understand more moral stories and the rewards they will get if they show it to others as well. Such way of teaching will help them grab the importance easily rather than taking mere lectures on moral values.

Introduction:

The society helps individuals to grow in culture and learn through experiences of all aspects of life. Societies instill culture, religion, economy and politics in individual because as people grow up, they tend to pick something from dynamics of life and the societal opinions on certain aspects of life. Moral values are also instilled by a society. The values that a person grows up with are the values that will be displayed in his or her character. Society plays a big role in influencing moral values of individuals. Moral values are a set of principles that enable an individual to distinguish between the proper and improper things or right versus wrong. The moral values that are highly valued in the society are integrity, honesty, loyalty, respect and hard work.

Importance of Moral Values in the Society:

In a society, there is interactions among people and the possession of moral values is important in those interactions. Establishment of good relationships is reliant on good moral values. Values like honesty, trust, faithfulness and loyalty are essential in establishment and sustainability of good relationships. Lack of those values causes strained relationships and misunderstanding among members of the society.

Moral values are important in building the economy. Through determination and hard work, people are able to conduct activities that contribute largely to the economic growth of a society. Also through establishment of good relationships, trade is conducted smoothly and there is teamwork in trade and performance of business transactions. The growth of the economy is important in the life quality in the society.

Moral values also play a role in prevention of conflict and ease in conflict resolution. Good relationships seldom end in conflict and whenever conflict arises, it is minimum and can be resolved easily. In a society that peace thrives, there is growth and development which results in an improved quality of life.

Challenges:

The society is required to thrive in good moral values. Development of moral values is challenged by migration and interactions between different cultures and societies. The interactions dilute the morals of one society through adaption and assimilation of a different culture e.g., westernization in Africa.

Poverty is a challenge to the moral values because it creates vices like theft and deceit among members of the society. In poor economic status, everyone struggles to keep up with the hard times and moral values become a thing of the past due to strive for survival.

Education is both a challenge and promoter for development of moral values. Depending on the environment of education, students pick either good or bad morals. In modern education, students tend to pick immorality because of peer pressure.

Conclusion.

In conclusion, it is evident that moral value are an important consideration in the development of the society. Moral values go a long way in impacting the lives of an individual and the entire society. The development of moral values varies with the environmental exposure in societies. Each society should strive to uphold good moral values.

Moral values cultivated by human beings dignify the worth of human life. The morality existed from time immemorial and sustained among the communities. It amalgamated into the cultures which made the life of human beings secure and advanced. We can observe the ethical integrity in all the aspects of the individual as well as societal discourses. The moral values have been evolving with the inter-personal relationships between human beings as well as intra-personal relationships.

What are the moral values cultivated among us?

Religions have played a vital role in formulating and promoting moral values. The fundamental human values of love, respect, trust, tolerance, compassion, kindness are commonly practiced among people. Love and respect are significant in family relationships.

Love and respects are the cornerstones for the relationship between husband and wife, parents and children, elders and children. The sharing and caring qualities should be encouraged among children to make them compassionate personalities in the future.

The integrity and trust plays a prominent role in maintaining professional relationships. Similarly, kindness and empathy are the two powerful units to measure the gravity of human values. Patience and forgiveness are the right symbols of a human being’s dignity.

The Relevance of Moral Values:

Nowadays, humans tend to be more focused into self-centered life. Whatever happens outside the family roof is least mattered to the modern people. The social commitment of humans towards their community gets ignored for their personal conveniences.

The compassion, brotherhood, and love are hardly found. We do not have time to spend with our parents or even have time to look after our old and sick parents. Husbands leaving their wives and vice versa have become common these days. The increased number of divorces, old age homes, and orphanages clearly show where our compassion and love stay.

The social values like secularism, religious tolerance, and universal fraternity are the most threatened moral values these days. Religious fanatics have made the lives of ordinary people terrible in many places. The violence by the fanatics are the denial of the fundamental rights of people. People do not identify the fellow beings as brothers and sisters instead they seem to recognize others on racial, economic, gender, caste, and religious terms. It affects the balance of our social system.

The increasing terrorism, revolts, violence against children and gender inequalities are the instances of the denial of fundamental rights. The refugees who wander from nations to nations, the war for food and water, robbery, child labor are still prevalent in today’s civilized society. The civilization and culture acquired through education have made our lives more primitive considering the aspect of moral values.

How to inculcate the values among the children?

Although we acquired many information and knowledge, skills and technical knowledge through our education, our curriculum gives less importance to teach human values and moral values to our children. Nowadays, children become addicted to electronic gadgets, social media, and other entertainment modes.

It is our responsibility to teach our children and students human values within our family as well as through the education system. We should help grow moral values like sharing, helping, caring, and being considerate and tolerance in our children and encourage them to practice those at an early age.

Though various cultures have different perspectives towards moral values, the fundamental human values remain the same in every culture. It is relevant to project the human values and cultivate them in our daily lives.

Moral values demand to have conviction, integrity and rational sense to dissect between right and wrong. It is not just a technical understanding of right and wrong. It is more than that. In life, even if things happen against the morale of our best belief, we tend to manage the situation which may be the right decision of the occasion. We can say morally is wrong but it is morally right too, because a concession in the moral standard might have saved a situation here.

Moral values are relative. Standing firm to the moral values should be the motto in everyone’s life. It should satisfy your conscious even if it is disadvantageous. Moral values are subject to change, and it should continue to change upon the progression of society. It should reflect on what we are standing and the kind of impact it can create on others.

Moral values can be said to simply mean the values that are good that our teachers and parents taught us. Some very important moral values include being kind and honest, always trying to help those who are in need, show respect to other people, working with others when there is a need to and faithfulness to a partner or friend. When we imbibe moral values that are good, we are building ourselves to become very good humans. A very good character is synonymous to moral values that are good. Moral values can be basically defined as values that are defined by our society so that they can help in guiding people to live a life that is disciplined. Moral values that are basic like cooperative behaviour, kindness and honesty are most times constant, some other values can change or get modified over time. Other habits that portray good moral values include integrity, helpfulness, love respectfulness, compassion and hard work.

The importance of good moral values in our lives:

Life is full of many different challenges. Each day we live, morals are very necessary in helping us differentiate between things that are wrong and things that are right. Our morals and moral values affect both us and the society around us. Good moral values can help us improve our decision making in life.

Aspects of moral values:

Moral values cut across every area of our lives and even the society at large. For us to be able to have a good society and environment, it is important for each and every one of us to have solid and good moral values. It is important that we respect each other irrespective of the age or social status of the individual we are relating to. This can help in gaining good relations in every aspects and area of life whether it is in the workplace, family or the society. Good moral values can also help us in discovering our true purpose in life.

If it is true that moral values and habits are extremely important and beneficial to us humans, why then do we have a lot of people that do not have any of the moral values and do not follow the rules of morality in this world. Why do we have a lot of crimes happening all around us in the world today? Why is there so much disbelief and distrust among all of us?

The world we live in is an extremely tempting place and there are quick fixes for all of the problems facing us and this eventually turns our attention back to the main problem. Abiding to moral values in this life requires a lot of patience and also sacrifice but eventually, it helps one in analysing the difficulties and problems one faces and help in getting a solution to them.

Overall, someone who is ready and very determined to do their best in following a life that is meaningful in a patient way ends up following moral values without any fear of the person getting judged and such person ends up standing out from among the crowd.

Imbibing and inculcating good moral values:

The best time to imbibe good moral values into a person is when the person is still young and can still learn new characters and habits. Therefore, teachers and parents should endeavour to put in their best efforts into helping students and their children imbibe very solid moral values. Most children are very observant and they copy and learn habits and behaviours of their elder siblings, parents and teachers.

Children are bound to pay solid attention to the manner of action and behaviour of people older than them and they simply do the things they do. Children tend to speak only the truth if they have noticed that the elders around them are always truthful no matter the situation.

Likewise, it is important as elders to not be engaged in any form of bad behaviour as the children tend to assume they can also do these things and that they are not wrong because the elders around them are doing it. We should try to always demonstrate good and solid moral values to children around us. The best way to teach children good and solid moral values is through our own actions and habits.

It is very important for us as human beings to bear good and solid moral values like helping others, honesty , righteousness, decency, and even self-decency. People that have great moral values are very indispensable asset to others and even the society at large.

Moral values are the models of good and bad, which direct a person’s conduct and decisions. A person may adopt moral values from society and government, religion, or self. They are also inherited from the family as well.

In past ages, it was uncommon to see couples who lived respectively without the advantage of legal marriage rules. Of late, couples that set up a family without marriage are about as common as conventional wedded couples. There has been a shift in the moral values from time to time. For instance, in earlier times, the laws and ethics essentially originated from the cultures of a family and society as a whole. As society moved into the advanced time, these have largely disintegrated and people today tend to sue their own morals they want to follow.

Definition:

Moral values, as the name says, implies the significance of the moral qualities in the conduct of the kids, the youth and everyone one in life. Primarily the moral values are the qualities which one gains from life through the journey of life. They also depict the standards of what is right and what is wrong for us which we learn in the schools and in the workplace and from our surroundings as well. The beliefs which we gain from the family and the society that directs us how we lead our lives is what moral values are all about.

Moral Values in India:

India is a country which has been known for its values since the ancient times. We start to learn moral values from our family. In India, children are taught to respect their elders, greet them properly whenever they meet them. This a way of showing respect towards the elders. A child knows that he is supposed to obey whatever is asked by the elders. Such a moral value inculcates obedience in the mind of a child. Moral values are important for all of us in order to make us live a life of a good human being.

Important Moral Values in Life:

Although there are numerous moral values which one should follow in life, there are some of them which should be followed by almost everyone in the world. Firstly, always speaking the truth is one such moral value. We should never speak lies no matter what the circumstance is. Also, we should respect our elders. Our elders have seen and experienced the world better than us. It is always good for their blessings and advice in our important decisions. Loyalty towards our work and integrity are other such moral values which should be practised by one and all.

Examples from History:

There have been many examples from history which have depicted the importance and rightful following of moral values in life. One such example which we all are familiar with is from our epic Ramayana. Lord Ram was asked to go to fourteen years in exile just because his father King Dasaratha had granted a wish to the queen Kaikeyi. He could have refused it as well as it was not he who had granted the wish. But just to keep his father’s words he accepted the exile graciously and went into exile. Not only this, his wife Sita and his younger brother Laxman also followed his footsteps as they believed that it was their prime duty to follow him.

The Scenario Today:

Such was the moral value depicted during that period. But, now things are so different. People seem to have forgotten their moral values and are more focused on modern life. There are a number of instances every day where parents are left alone by their children to live a lonely old life. Many of them even die in isolation and there is no one to look after them during the last years. Apart from this, there are frequent quarrels between families over petty matters which could have been avoided if the people remembered the moral values our ancestors stood for.

Nowadays, people smoking and drinking and that too in front of their parents and children is a common sight. This is so against our moral values. We should not teach our children the evils ,such habits can do harm them in later years of their life.

The Remedy Available:

Since there has been a strong drift in the moral values of the people, the government has initiated to make the students learn about moral values in life and their importance to us. In order to execute this, schools of today teach moral values to the children in a greater sense. This is important as the students are the future of tomorrow. If the schools and the families alike teach the children such values from childhood, they shall turn into good human beings when they grow up.

Moral values depict our character to the outer world. They are of extreme importance in our lives. In earlier times, people were so determined to follow these values inherited from our ancestors. Such was their determination that once committed they never went back on their words. But with modernisation and urbanisation, we have seemed to have lost our moral values somewhere. Children disrespecting their parents are a common sight nowadays.

But, we should not blame the children for this. It is perhaps our own upbringing which has led to such immoral practices all over. It is we who should inculcate the moral values in our life first. Children will follow what they observe around them. If they shall see people living in joint families together and respecting each other, even they shall do so when they grow up. If we speak lies to our children even they shall do so. For the children imbibe the habits they see in their parents, teachers, peers at school and others around them.

So, it is we who have to take the first step forward. The children shall surely follow us. Moral values give us character and strength. If each one us practice some moral values in life, there would be peace and harmony all around. Moreover, we shall have a bright future for our next generations as well.

Moral Science , Moral Values , Values

Get FREE Work-at-Home Job Leads Delivered Weekly!

moral essay example

Join more than 50,000 subscribers receiving regular updates! Plus, get a FREE copy of How to Make Money Blogging!

Message from Sophia!

moral essay example

Like this post? Don’t forget to share it!

Here are a few recommended articles for you to read next:

  • Essay on Discipline
  • Which is More Important in Life: Love or Money | Essay
  • Essay on My School
  • Essay on Solar Energy

No comments yet.

Leave a reply click here to cancel reply..

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Billionaires

  • Donald Trump
  • Warren Buffett
  • Email Address
  • Free Stock Photos
  • Keyword Research Tools
  • URL Shortener Tools
  • WordPress Theme

Book Summaries

  • How To Win Friends
  • Rich Dad Poor Dad
  • The Code of the Extraordinary Mind
  • The Luck Factor
  • The Millionaire Fastlane
  • The ONE Thing
  • Think and Grow Rich
  • 100 Million Dollar Business
  • Business Ideas

Digital Marketing

  • Mobile Addiction
  • Social Media Addiction
  • Computer Addiction
  • Drug Addiction
  • Internet Addiction
  • TV Addiction
  • Healthy Habits
  • Morning Rituals
  • Wake up Early
  • Cholesterol
  • Reducing Cholesterol
  • Fat Loss Diet Plan
  • Reducing Hair Fall
  • Sleep Apnea
  • Weight Loss

Internet Marketing

  • Email Marketing

Law of Attraction

  • Subconscious Mind
  • Vision Board
  • Visualization

Law of Vibration

  • Professional Life

Motivational Speakers

  • Bob Proctor
  • Robert Kiyosaki
  • Vivek Bindra
  • Inner Peace

Productivity

  • Not To-do List
  • Project Management Software
  • Negative Energies

Relationship

  • Getting Back Your Ex

Self-help 21 and 14 Days Course

Self-improvement.

  • Body Language
  • Complainers
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Personality

Social Media

  • Project Management
  • Anik Singal
  • Baba Ramdev
  • Dwayne Johnson
  • Jackie Chan
  • Leonardo DiCaprio
  • Narendra Modi
  • Nikola Tesla
  • Sachin Tendulkar
  • Sandeep Maheshwari
  • Shaqir Hussyin

Website Development

Wisdom post, worlds most.

  • Expensive Cars

Our Portals: Gulf Canada USA Italy Gulf UK

Privacy Overview

CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Web Analytics

Illustration

  • Essay Guides
  • Other Essays
  • How to Write an Ethics Paper: Guide & Ethical Essay Examples
  • Speech Topics
  • Basics of Essay Writing
  • Essay Topics
  • Main Academic Essays
  • Research Paper Topics
  • Basics of Research Paper Writing
  • Miscellaneous
  • Chicago/ Turabian
  • Data & Statistics
  • Methodology
  • Admission Writing Tips
  • Admission Advice
  • Other Guides
  • Student Life
  • Studying Tips
  • Understanding Plagiarism
  • Academic Writing Tips
  • Basics of Dissertation & Thesis Writing

Illustration

  • Research Paper Guides
  • Formatting Guides
  • Basics of Research Process
  • Admission Guides
  • Dissertation & Thesis Guides

How to Write an Ethics Paper: Guide & Ethical Essay Examples

ethics-essay

Table of contents

Illustration

Use our free Readability checker

An ethics essay is a type of academic writing that explores ethical issues and dilemmas. Students should evaluates them in terms of moral principles and values. The purpose of an ethics essay is to examine the moral implications of a particular issue, and provide a reasoned argument in support of an ethical perspective.

Writing an essay about ethics is a tough task for most students. The process involves creating an outline to guide your arguments about a topic and planning your ideas to convince the reader of your feelings about a difficult issue. If you still need assistance putting together your thoughts in composing a good paper, you have come to the right place. We have provided a series of steps and tips to show how you can achieve success in writing. This guide will tell you how to write an ethics paper using ethical essay examples to understand every step it takes to be proficient. In case you don’t have time for writing, get in touch with our professional essay writers for hire . Our experts work hard to supply students with excellent essays.

What Is an Ethics Essay?

An ethics essay uses moral theories to build arguments on an issue. You describe a controversial problem and examine it to determine how it affects individuals or society. Ethics papers analyze arguments on both sides of a possible dilemma, focusing on right and wrong. The analysis gained can be used to solve real-life cases. Before embarking on writing an ethical essay, keep in mind that most individuals follow moral principles. From a social context perspective, these rules define how a human behaves or acts towards another. Therefore, your theme essay on ethics needs to demonstrate how a person feels about these moral principles. More specifically, your task is to show how significant that issue is and discuss if you value or discredit it.

Purpose of an Essay on Ethics

The primary purpose of an ethics essay is to initiate an argument on a moral issue using reasoning and critical evidence. Instead of providing general information about a problem, you present solid arguments about how you view the moral concern and how it affects you or society. When writing an ethical paper, you demonstrate philosophical competence, using appropriate moral perspectives and principles.

Things to Write an Essay About Ethics On

Before you start to write ethics essays, consider a topic you can easily address. In most cases, an ethical issues essay analyzes right and wrong. This includes discussing ethics and morals and how they contribute to the right behaviors. You can also talk about work ethic, code of conduct, and how employees promote or disregard the need for change. However, you can explore other areas by asking yourself what ethics mean to you. Think about how a recent game you watched with friends started a controversial argument. Or maybe a newspaper that highlighted a story you felt was misunderstood or blown out of proportion. This way, you can come up with an excellent topic that resonates with your personal ethics and beliefs.

Ethics Paper Outline

Sometimes, you will be asked to submit an outline before writing an ethics paper. Creating an outline for an ethics paper is an essential step in creating a good essay. You can use it to arrange your points and supporting evidence before writing. It also helps organize your thoughts, enabling you to fill any gaps in your ideas. The outline for an essay should contain short and numbered sentences to cover the format and outline. Each section is structured to enable you to plan your work and include all sources in writing an ethics paper. An ethics essay outline is as follows:

  • Background information
  • Thesis statement
  • Restate thesis statement
  • Summarize key points
  • Final thoughts on the topic

Using this outline will improve clarity and focus throughout your writing process.

Ethical Essay Structure

Ethics essays are similar to other essays based on their format, outline, and structure. An ethical essay should have a well-defined introduction, body, and conclusion section as its structure. When planning your ideas, make sure that the introduction and conclusion are around 20 percent of the paper, leaving the rest to the body. We will take a detailed look at what each part entails and give examples that are going to help you understand them better.  Refer to our essay structure examples to find a fitting way of organizing your writing.

Ethics Paper Introduction

An ethics essay introduction gives a synopsis of your main argument. One step on how to write an introduction for an ethics paper is telling about the topic and describing its background information. This paragraph should be brief and straight to the point. It informs readers what your position is on that issue. Start with an essay hook to generate interest from your audience. It can be a question you will address or a misunderstanding that leads up to your main argument. You can also add more perspectives to be discussed; this will inform readers on what to expect in the paper.

Ethics Essay Introduction Example

You can find many ethics essay introduction examples on the internet. In this guide, we have written an excellent extract to demonstrate how it should be structured. As you read, examine how it begins with a hook and then provides background information on an issue. 

Imagine living in a world where people only lie, and honesty is becoming a scarce commodity. Indeed, modern society is facing this reality as truth and deception can no longer be separated. Technology has facilitated a quick transmission of voluminous information, whereas it's hard separating facts from opinions.

In this example, the first sentence of the introduction makes a claim or uses a question to hook the reader.

Ethics Essay Thesis Statement

An ethics paper must contain a thesis statement in the first paragraph. Learning how to write a thesis statement for an ethics paper is necessary as readers often look at it to gauge whether the essay is worth their time.

When you deviate away from the thesis, your whole paper loses meaning. In ethics essays, your thesis statement is a roadmap in writing, stressing your position on the problem and giving reasons for taking that stance. It should focus on a specific element of the issue being discussed. When writing a thesis statement, ensure that you can easily make arguments for or against its stance.

Ethical Paper Thesis Example

Look at this example of an ethics paper thesis statement and examine how well it has been written to state a position and provide reasons for doing so:

The moral implications of dishonesty are far-reaching as they undermine trust, integrity, and other foundations of society, damaging personal and professional relationships. 

The above thesis statement example is clear and concise, indicating that this paper will highlight the effects of dishonesty in society. Moreover, it focuses on aspects of personal and professional relationships.

Ethics Essay Body

The body section is the heart of an ethics paper as it presents the author's main points. In an ethical essay, each body paragraph has several elements that should explain your main idea. These include:

  • A topic sentence that is precise and reiterates your stance on the issue.
  • Evidence supporting it.
  • Examples that illustrate your argument.
  • A thorough analysis showing how the evidence and examples relate to that issue.
  • A transition sentence that connects one paragraph to another with the help of essay transitions .

When you write an ethics essay, adding relevant examples strengthens your main point and makes it easy for others to understand and comprehend your argument. 

Body Paragraph for Ethics Paper Example

A good body paragraph must have a well-defined topic sentence that makes a claim and includes evidence and examples to support it. Look at part of an example of ethics essay body paragraph below and see how its idea has been developed:

Honesty is an essential component of professional integrity. In many fields, trust and credibility are crucial for professionals to build relationships and success. For example, a doctor who is dishonest about a potential side effect of a medication is not only acting unethically but also putting the health and well-being of their patients at risk. Similarly, a dishonest businessman could achieve short-term benefits but will lose their client’s trust.

Ethics Essay Conclusion

A concluding paragraph shares the summary and overview of the author's main arguments. Many students need clarification on what should be included in the essay conclusion and how best to get a reader's attention. When writing an ethics paper conclusion, consider the following:

  • Restate the thesis statement to emphasize your position.
  • Summarize its main points and evidence.
  • Final thoughts on the issue and any other considerations.

You can also reflect on the topic or acknowledge any possible challenges or questions that have not been answered. A closing statement should present a call to action on the problem based on your position.

Sample Ethics Paper Conclusion

The conclusion paragraph restates the thesis statement and summarizes the arguments presented in that paper. The sample conclusion for an ethical essay example below demonstrates how you should write a concluding statement.  

In conclusion, the implications of dishonesty and the importance of honesty in our lives cannot be overstated. Honesty builds solid relationships, effective communication, and better decision-making. This essay has explored how dishonesty impacts people and that we should value honesty. We hope this essay will help readers assess their behavior and work towards being more honest in their lives.

In the above extract, the writer gives final thoughts on the topic, urging readers to adopt honest behavior.

How to Write an Ethics Paper?

As you learn how to write an ethics essay, it is not advised to immediately choose a topic and begin writing. When you follow this method, you will get stuck or fail to present concrete ideas. A good writer understands the importance of planning. As a fact, you should organize your work and ensure it captures key elements that shed more light on your arguments. Hence, following the essay structure and creating an outline to guide your writing process is the best approach. In the following segment, we have highlighted step-by-step techniques on how to write a good ethics paper.

1. Pick a Topic

Before writing ethical papers, brainstorm to find ideal topics that can be easily debated. For starters, make a list, then select a title that presents a moral issue that may be explained and addressed from opposing sides. Make sure you choose one that interests you. Here are a few ideas to help you search for topics:

  • Review current trends affecting people.
  • Think about your personal experiences.
  • Study different moral theories and principles.
  • Examine classical moral dilemmas.

Once you find a suitable topic and are ready, start to write your ethics essay, conduct preliminary research, and ascertain that there are enough sources to support it.

2. Conduct In-Depth Research

Once you choose a topic for your essay, the next step is gathering sufficient information about it. Conducting in-depth research entails looking through scholarly journals to find credible material. Ensure you note down all sources you found helpful to assist you on how to write your ethics paper. Use the following steps to help you conduct your research:

  • Clearly state and define a problem you want to discuss.
  • This will guide your research process.
  • Develop keywords that match the topic.
  • Begin searching from a wide perspective. This will allow you to collect more information, then narrow it down by using the identified words above.

3. Develop an Ethics Essay Outline

An outline will ease up your writing process when developing an ethic essay. As you develop a paper on ethics, jot down factual ideas that will build your paragraphs for each section. Include the following steps in your process:

  • Review the topic and information gathered to write a thesis statement.
  • Identify the main arguments you want to discuss and include their evidence.
  • Group them into sections, each presenting a new idea that supports the thesis.
  • Write an outline.
  • Review and refine it.

Examples can also be included to support your main arguments. The structure should be sequential, coherent, and with a good flow from beginning to end. When you follow all steps, you can create an engaging and organized outline that will help you write a good essay.

4. Write an Ethics Essay

Once you have selected a topic, conducted research, and outlined your main points, you can begin writing an essay . Ensure you adhere to the ethics paper format you have chosen. Start an ethics paper with an overview of your topic to capture the readers' attention. Build upon your paper by avoiding ambiguous arguments and using the outline to help you write your essay on ethics. Finish the introduction paragraph with a thesis statement that explains your main position.  Expand on your thesis statement in all essay paragraphs. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence and provide evidence plus an example to solidify your argument, strengthen the main point, and let readers see the reasoning behind your stance. Finally, conclude the essay by restating your thesis statement and summarizing all key ideas. Your conclusion should engage the reader, posing questions or urging them to reflect on the issue and how it will impact them.

5. Proofread Your Ethics Essay

Proofreading your essay is the last step as you countercheck any grammatical or structural errors in your essay. When writing your ethic paper, typical mistakes you could encounter include the following:

  • Spelling errors: e.g., there, they’re, their.
  • Homophone words: such as new vs. knew.
  • Inconsistencies: like mixing British and American words, e.g., color vs. color.
  • Formatting issues: e.g., double spacing, different font types.

While proofreading your ethical issue essay, read it aloud to detect lexical errors or ambiguous phrases that distort its meaning. Verify your information and ensure it is relevant and up-to-date. You can ask your fellow student to read the essay and give feedback on its structure and quality.

Ethics Essay Examples

Writing an essay is challenging without the right steps. There are so many ethics paper examples on the internet, however, we have provided a list of free ethics essay examples below that are well-structured and have a solid argument to help you write your paper. Click on them and see how each writing step has been integrated. Ethics essay example 1

Illustration

Ethics essay example 2

Ethics essay example 3

Ethics essay example 4

College ethics essay example 5

Ethics Essay Writing Tips

When writing papers on ethics, here are several tips to help you complete an excellent essay:

  • Choose a narrow topic and avoid broad subjects, as it is easy to cover the topic in detail.
  • Ensure you have background information. A good understanding of a topic can make it easy to apply all necessary moral theories and principles in writing your paper.
  • State your position clearly. It is important to be sure about your stance as it will allow you to draft your arguments accordingly.
  • When writing ethics essays, be mindful of your audience. Provide arguments that they can understand.
  • Integrate solid examples into your essay. Morality can be hard to understand; therefore, using them will help a reader grasp these concepts.

Bottom Line on Writing an Ethics Paper

Creating this essay is a common exercise in academics that allows students to build critical skills. When you begin writing, state your stance on an issue and provide arguments to support your position. This guide gives information on how to write an ethics essay as well as examples of ethics papers. Remember to follow these points in your writing:

  • Create an outline highlighting your main points.
  • Write an effective introduction and provide background information on an issue.
  • Include a thesis statement.
  • Develop concrete arguments and their counterarguments, and use examples.
  • Sum up all your key points in your conclusion and restate your thesis statement.

Illustration

Contact our academic writing platform and have your challenge solved. Here, you can order essays and papers on any topic and enjoy top quality. 

Daniel_Howard_1_1_2da08f03b5.jpg

Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

You may also like

How to write a satire essay

Pitchgrade

Presentations made painless

  • Get Premium

113 Morality Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Morality is a complex and often controversial topic that has been debated for centuries. It deals with questions of right and wrong, good and evil, and the principles that guide our behavior and decision-making. Whether you are studying ethics, philosophy, psychology, or simply interested in exploring moral issues, there are countless essay topics to choose from. In this article, we have compiled 113 morality essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started on your writing journey.

  • The role of religion in shaping moral values
  • Moral relativism vs. moral absolutism
  • The ethics of artificial intelligence
  • The morality of capital punishment
  • The impact of social media on moral behavior
  • The relationship between morality and law
  • Moral dilemmas in healthcare
  • The morality of animal testing
  • The ethics of whistleblowing
  • The influence of culture on moral values
  • The morality of genetic engineering
  • The role of empathy in moral decision-making
  • The ethics of euthanasia
  • The morality of war
  • The impact of technology on moral development
  • The relationship between morality and happiness
  • The ethics of environmental conservation
  • The morality of lying
  • The role of education in moral development
  • The ethics of torture
  • The morality of abortion
  • The impact of upbringing on moral values
  • The ethics of corporate social responsibility
  • The relationship between morality and politics
  • The morality of affirmative action
  • The influence of media on moral perceptions
  • The ethics of privacy in the digital age
  • The morality of censorship
  • The role of emotions in moral decision-making
  • The ethics of animal rights
  • The morality of using animals in entertainment
  • The impact of poverty on moral values
  • The relationship between morality and power
  • The ethics of cultural appropriation
  • The morality of cultural relativism
  • The influence of gender on moral beliefs
  • The ethics of reproductive technologies
  • The morality of child labor
  • The role of technology in shaping moral values
  • The ethics of online activism
  • The morality of online dating
  • The impact of globalization on moral development
  • The relationship between morality and religion
  • The ethics of cultural diversity
  • The morality of hate speech
  • The influence of peer pressure on moral behavior
  • The role of forgiveness in moral decision-making
  • The ethics of animal cruelty
  • The morality of beauty standards
  • The impact of social norms on moral values
  • The relationship between morality and authority
  • The ethics of surveillance
  • The morality of gun control
  • The influence of socioeconomic status on moral beliefs
  • The role of justice in moral development
  • The ethics of whistleblowing in the workplace
  • The morality of intellectual property rights
  • The impact of religion on moral values
  • The relationship between morality and emotions
  • The ethics of cultural assimilation
  • The morality of cultural preservation
  • The influence of technology on moral decision-making
  • The role of education in teaching moral values
  • The ethics of truth-telling
  • The morality of assisted suicide
  • The impact of social justice movements on moral development
  • The relationship between morality and identity
  • The ethics of political correctness
  • The morality of censorship in the arts
  • The influence of peer groups on moral behavior
  • The role of forgiveness in moral development
  • The ethics of animal experimentation
  • The morality of privacy in the workplace
  • The impact of globalization on moral values
  • The relationship between morality and social justice
  • The ethics of cultural appropriation in fashion
  • The morality of cultural relativism in education
  • The influence of media on moral decision-making
  • The role of empathy in teaching moral values
  • The ethics of online privacy
  • The morality of body image standards
  • The impact of social media on moral development
  • The relationship between morality and mental health
  • The ethics of cultural diversity in the workplace
  • The morality of hate speech online
  • The influence of socioeconomic status on moral behavior
  • The role of forgiveness in shaping moral values
  • The ethics of animal rights activism
  • The morality of environmental conservation efforts
  • The impact of technology on moral decision-making
  • The relationship between morality and social responsibility
  • The ethics of cultural sensitivity training
  • The morality of cultural assimilation policies
  • The influence of peer pressure on moral values
  • The role of empathy in moral development
  • The ethics of truth-telling in relationships
  • The morality of assisted reproduction technologies
  • The impact of social justice movements on moral behavior
  • The relationship between morality and cultural identity
  • The ethics of political correctness in the workplace
  • The morality of censorship in the media
  • The influence of peer groups on moral values
  • The ethics of animal welfare laws
  • The morality of privacy in the digital age
  • The impact of globalization on moral behavior
  • The relationship between morality and environmental ethics
  • The ethics of cultural appropriation in music
  • The morality of cultural relativism in art
  • The influence of media on moral values
  • The ethics of online harassment
  • The morality of body positivity movements

These are just a few examples of the many morality essay topics that you can explore in your writing. Whether you are interested in exploring ethical theories, analyzing real-world moral dilemmas, or discussing the impact of social factors on moral behavior, there is a wealth of material to draw from. So, pick a topic that interests you and start writing ''' there is no shortage of ideas to explore in the field of morality.

Want to research companies faster?

Instantly access industry insights

Let PitchGrade do this for me

Leverage powerful AI research capabilities

We will create your text and designs for you. Sit back and relax while we do the work.

Explore More Content

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

© 2024 Pitchgrade

Logo

Essay on Morality

Students are often asked to write an essay on Morality in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Morality

What is morality.

Morality is about knowing right from wrong. It’s like an invisible rule book that guides us to be good people. Everyone has different ideas about what is moral because we grow up in different places with different beliefs.

Morals in Our Lives

We use morals every day. When we share our toys, tell the truth, or help someone who is hurt, we are showing good morals. Our family, friends, and teachers help us learn these good actions.

Morals and Society

Morals keep society running smoothly. They are like the glue that holds people together. Without morals, there would be more fighting and unhappiness.

Learning Morals

We learn morals from the people around us. Books, stories, and even movies can teach us what is right and wrong. It’s important to keep learning about morals to become better people.

250 Words Essay on Morality

Why is morality important.

Morality is important because it guides us in making choices that are good for everyone. It teaches us to treat others kindly and to be honest. When we follow moral rules, we make our families, schools, and communities better places. It’s like playing a game where everyone knows the rules and plays fairly – the game is more fun that way.

Where Does Morality Come From?

People learn about what is right and wrong from their families, schools, and the society they live in. Some moral rules are written in laws, and others are things we just know in our hearts. For example, sharing with others is not a law, but it is a kind thing to do.

Challenges with Morality

Sometimes it’s hard to know what the right thing to do is. Different people or cultures might have different ideas about morality. The key is to think about how your actions affect others and to choose to be kind and fair.

Morality is like the glue that holds people together. It helps us know how to act so that we can all get along and be happy. It’s important for everyone to try their best to be moral and do the right thing.

500 Words Essay on Morality

Morality is about knowing the difference between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. It is a set of rules that we live by. These rules can come from our family, religion, or society. They guide us to be good people and to treat others well.

Why Morality is Important

Different kinds of morals.

There are many kinds of morals because people come from different places and have different beliefs. Some people think it’s very important to be honest, while others think being kind is the most important. But most people agree on some basic things, like not hurting others, not stealing, and treating others as we want to be treated.

Learning About Morality

We learn about morality from when we are very young. Our parents teach us to share and to say “sorry” when we do something wrong. At school, teachers tell us about being fair and not cheating. We also learn from stories and movies that show heroes being brave and doing the right thing.

Morality and Choices

Every day, we have to make choices. Some choices are about morality. For example, if you find a lost wallet, you have to choose to return it or keep it. Morality helps us make the right choice. Even when no one is watching, being moral means doing the right thing.

Morality and Feelings

Morality is not just about rules; it’s also about feelings. When we do something good, we feel happy and proud. When we do something bad, we might feel sad or guilty. These feelings help us know if our choices match our morals.

Challenges to Morality

Sometimes, it’s hard to be moral. Maybe we are tempted to do something wrong because it seems easier or because we might get something we want. It can also be hard when people around us are not being moral. But sticking to our morals, even when it’s tough, makes us strong and respected.

Morality in the Future

In conclusion, morality is like a compass that guides us through life. It helps us know which way is right and which way is wrong. By following our moral compass, we can live in a way that is good for us and for everyone around us. Remember, being moral is not always easy, but it is always worth it.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Narrative essay topics
  • Writing a paper about freedom
  • An argumentative essay synopsis
  • Analytical essay writing hints
  • Pro-written custom papers
  • Paper topic ideas for 7th graders
  • Philosophy paper writing tips
  • A brilliant paper writing tutorial
  • Diversity paper samples
  • Analytical paper topic ideas
  • Good custom writing services
  • Argumentative essay ideas
  • Discursive essay writing tips
  • Writing a paper introducing parts
  • 5-paragraph paper synopsis
  • Writing a good paper conclusion
  • How-to essay samples
  • Sample illustration essay outlines
  • Selecting persuasive essay prompts
  • Sample third person descriptive essays
  • Crafting a 7-paragraph comparative paper
  • Getting sample free essays
  • Expository essay writing: use of samples
  • A guide to essay writer selection
  • Crafting an essay about dogs as pets
  • Creating a school visual analysis essay
  • Expository essay writing hints
  • AP World History essay samples
  • Finding an outstanding writer
  • Seeking help with homework papers
  • Writing agencies specializing in Psychology
  • Traits of qualified writers
  • Self help groups: essay hints
  • Selecting a writing company
  • Hiring an essay writer
  • Tips on essay about yourself
  • Gun controls paper sample
  • False memories essay sample
  • Booker T. Washington paper sample
  • A chorus line paper sample
  • 12 Years A Slave essay
  • Obamacare paper sample
  • Manifest Destiny essay sample
  • Graphic novel essay sample
  • Mass murders essay example
  • Drunk driving paper sample
  • Rustom essay example
  • Markets in Spanish America essay sample
  • Death and dying practices essay sample
  • Hate crimes paper example
  • Gay marriage essay sample
  • Abusive relationships paper template
  • John Keats essay template
  • Sample essay on family ecology theory
  • How to manage environmental problems
  • Woman suffrage
  • Children and inequality
  • An essay sample on autism
  • A Good Man Is Hard To Find
  • The choice of adoption
  • The life of Davy Crockett
  • Atomic theory
  • Critical thinking's role
  • Bilingual education
  • Climate change
  • Is the progress real?
  • Immigration reform in the USA
  • Risky aspects of communication
  • Personal moral values
  • Flu vaccine
  • Types of papers

efficient ideas for academic essay writing

My Moral Values

Introduction.

In the context of personal character, values are intangible qualities that are regarded as worth possessing due to their usefulness, importance or desirability. Virtually all values are morally relative in the sense that a particular value may seem good and beneficial to one person and yet be outright bad or inimical to others. So, values can be moral or otherwise depending on who is making the judgment. Moral values refer to a set of positive standards and principles that tend to guide or determine how a person distinguishes right from wrong, thus regulating his behaviours and choices. Great moral values have one thing in common – they dignify, enhance and protect life for the good of all.

What determines a person’s moral values?

There are three major sources from which we derive our moral values. One of these is from society and government. The customs, cultures and traditions of society as well as the laws enacted by governments all together shape and define the moral values of individuals within the community, whether we are looking at a small town, state, nation or the global community. Events as well as cultural and legal changes inevitably result in changes in the general moral value. Another source of moral value is religion, ideology or creed. The belief system or philosophical leanings of individuals leave in them a set of codes and list of dos and don’ts which shape and concretize their sense of good and evil, right and wrong. In spite of some of its variants with contradictory showings, Christianity rises well above all other religions and philosophies in going beyond a system of dos and don’ts, emphasizing a vital relationship with God through His Son and setting moral values that clearly transcend society’s mores and man’s selfish instincts. A final source from which moral value is derived is from within one’s own self. There is an innate, instinctive tendency to, from within one’s self, distinguish right from wrong. Evidence of this is ably demonstrated by toddlers who watch their parent before going for or against an instruction. As knowledge increases and an individual grows from childhood to adulthood, he strengthens his ability to make choices between the forbidden and acceptable, kind or cruel, generous or selfish, from within his own self. This ability, though untaught, is usually modified or tamed by the earlier two sources of moral values.

My moral values have been largely influenced by my family upbringing, that is, what my parents taught me while growing up and my strong Christian faith. In addition to this, however, there is considerable contribution from my education, personal experience, my appreciation of how government works and cultural integration in our global village of diverse but same humanity. It may not be possible to list them all but the core of my moral values are represented by these few: integrity, love, courage, respect, obedience, responsibility, kindness, fairness, humility, politeness and modesty.

Moral values are only truly valuable when put into action. The essence of knowing and cultivating fine moral values is not to hold them deep within but to put them into action whenever and wherever they are required.

Essay Writing Tips

  • Bad paper writing agencies
  • Sociology process analysis paper ideas
  • US history of religion essay template
  • Italian traditions essay
  • Professional paper writing help
  • Opera & ballet essay example
  • Choosing a good paper writer
  • Volunteering essay sample
  • Environment paper writing rules

Essay Topics

  • Illustration paper topics
  • Process paper topic ideas
  • Argument essay prompts
  • Arts comparative essay topics

Popular Posts

  • Cheap custom paper writing agencies
  • Child obesity essay example
  • What makes a 5-paragraph essay
  • Finding sample essay on study skills

Contribute to us as a writer. As a successful student. As our user. Leave your feedback, ideas and tips on [email protected]

© RaintreeWriting.com. All rights reserved. | 2024

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

  • Home ›
  • Reviews ›

My Way: Essays on Moral Responsibility

Placeholder book cover

Fischer, John Martin, My Way: Essays on Moral Responsibility , Oxford University Press, 2006, 260pp, $45.00 (hbk), ISBN 0195179552.

Reviewed by Ishtiyaque Haji, University of Calgary

Moral responsibility has a number of requirements including a control (or freedom), an "authenticity" (or ownership), and an epistemic requirement. The twelve highly insightful and commandingly influential essays in My Way largely address one or more aspects of the first two requirements. The introductory essay is new; the remaining eleven, common currency in the free will literature, have been reprinted with or without minor changes. The fourth and ninth are co-authored, the former with Mark Ravizza, the latter with Eleonore Stump. Rather than give a chapter-by-chapter summary, it will be more helpful to articulate the work's central themes.

A champion of compatibilism, Fischer accepts the conclusion of the Consequence Argument that determinism is incompatible with two-way or regulative control . But he argues that responsibility does not presuppose this species of control largely (though not exclusively) by invoking Frankfurt examples. Responsibility, he proposes, demands only one-way guidance control that can be exemplified in the actual sequence of events culminating in conduct; actions, omissions, and their consequences are symmetric in not requiring alternative possibilities for responsibility. Fischer argues, in addition, against the view that causal determinism in the actual sequence directly--that is, quite apart from expunging alternatives--undermines responsibility. The conclusion of this stream of reasoning is that responsibility can be safeguarded against what some have taken to be the most serious of determinism's threat to it: "genuine" alternatives are non-existent in a determined world.

Fischer seeks to deflect two other alleged threats of determinism to responsibility. One "direct" argument for incompatibilism invokes some version of a transfer of non-responsibility principle. Letting p and q be variables that range over propositions, and taking 'NR( p )' to abbreviate ' p and no one is (now), or ever has been morally responsible for the fact that p ,' one incarnation of this principle says that if NR( p ), and NR(if p , then q ), then NR( q ). If determinism is true, the non-relational facts of the past and the laws entail all present and future truths. But owing to no one's being responsible for the past and the laws, and no one's being responsible for its being the case that the past and the laws entail all future events, it follows from an application of the transfer principle that no one is ever morally responsible for one's behavior. The argument is direct because, if sound, it secures the incompatibility of determinism and responsibility independently of any premise to the effect that responsibility requires alternative possibilities. Fischer, though, rejects this argument by producing counterexamples against various versions of the transfer principle. These examples are, roughly, Frankfurt cases involving simultaneous overdetermination. So, for instance, Betty may well be morally responsible for destroying an enemy camp at a certain time, but even without her scheming, an avalanche for which no one is responsible would still have destroyed the camp at that time.

A second direct argument draws on the thought that a person is responsible for something only if he is an ultimate originator of that thing. This condition attempts to capture the idea that if our actions originate in sources, such as the distant past and the natural laws, over which we lack any sort of control, then we are not responsible for these actions. In response, Fischer proposes that there are compatibilist and incompatibilist notions of ultimate origination. He argues that it is not obvious that moral responsibility requires a conception of origination that involves causal indeterminism, especially if one renounces the thesis that responsibility presupposes regulative control.

It is one thing to argue for responsibility's requiring only one-way guidance control, quite another to develop and defend a substantive account of such control. Rising to the task, Fischer (and his co-author Ravizza) propose that guidance control has two components, neither of which determinism impugns. A distinction is presupposed between the kind of "mechanism"--roughly, the type of process--that actually causally issues in the agent's behavior and other sorts of mechanism. The reasons-responsiveness component requires that the mechanism that produces the action be appropriately sensitive to reasons. The ownership component requires that the mechanism be the agent's own. Briefly put, an agent has guidance control in performing an action if and only if the action issues from his own, moderately reasons-responsive mechanism.

Moderate reasons-responsiveness consists in regular reasons-receptivity, and at least weak reasons-reactivity, of the actual-sequence mechanism that leads to action. Reasons-receptivity is the capacity to recognize the reasons that exist, and reasons-reactivity is the capacity to translate reasons into choices (and subsequent behavior). Regular reasons-receptivity involves an understandable pattern of actual and hypothetical reasons-receptivity. A mechanism of the agent that issues in the agent's performing some action in the actual world is weakly reasons-reactive if there is some possible world with the same laws in which a mechanism of this very kind is operative in the agent, there is sufficient reason to do otherwise, the agent recognizes this reason, and the agent does otherwise for this reason.

It is possible for an agent's actions to issue from a moderately reasons-responsive mechanism whose primary constituents have been induced externally by clandestine manipulation, hypnosis, brainwashing, and so forth. Intuitively, in cases of this sort the agent is not morally responsible for the pertinent actions. Such cases impel Fischer and Ravizza to theorize that the way in which the agent's springs of action are acquired has a pronounced bearing on responsibility; responsibility is, consequently, an essentially "historical" phenomenon. Fischer and Ravizza's prognosis is that in these troubling cases, the mechanism that issues in action is not the "agent's own", the agent having failed to take responsibility for it. Reasons sensitivity, thus, requires supplementation with the mechanism-ownership component to guard against causal springs being acquired in a manner that subverts responsibility.

Taking responsibility, measures by which an agent makes a mechanism "his own", involves three elements: the agent must regard himself as the source of consequences in the world by realizing that his choices have effects in the world; the agent must see himself as an appropriate candidate for morally reactive attitudes as a result of how he affects the world; and these beliefs about himself must be based on his evidence in an appropriate way.

The account of guidance control of actions is extended to guidance control of intentional omissions and the upshots of actions or omissions. Moral responsibility for all these items is, thus, "tied together by a unified deep theory" (17).

Recently, it has been argued that determinism undermines the truth of other pivotal moral judgments such as that of deontic judgments involving moral obligation, right, and wrong. One such argument that I have developed starts with the "ought" implies "can" principle: if one morally ought to [ought not to] do something, then one can do [can refrain from doing] that thing; and the principle: if it is morally wrong for one to do something, then one morally ought not to do it. These principles entail that if it is wrong for one to do something, then one can refrain from doing it. So there is a requirement of alternative possibilities for wrongness. The argument can be extended to show that there is such a requirement for obligation and rightness as well. As determinism effaces alternative possibilities, determinism threatens the truth of deontic judgments. Fischer submits that it would render his semicompatibilism--the view that determinism is incompatible with regulative control but compatible with responsibility--considerably less interesting if determinism undermined other moral appraisals such as deontic ones. Thus, Fischer challenges the sort of argument that I have sketched. He claims that various Frankfurt examples involving omissions give us reason to jettison the "ought" implies "can" principle. Suppose that in one instance of this sort of case, Sally fails to raise her hand, thereby ensuring that a child is not rescued from impending disaster. Sally is blameworthy for this omission even though, given her circumstances, she could not have raised her hand. Fischer reasons that since Sally is morally blameworthy for not raising her hand, "she acted wrongly in failing to raise her hand, and thus that she ought to have raised it" (25). But as she could not have raised it, "ought" does not imply "can."

On various "libertarian" accounts, metaphysically available alternative possibilities, or at least the assumption of such availability, are required for practical reasoning and deliberation. Skeptical of such accounts, Fischer proposes that the point of practical reasoning is not to make a difference in the sense of selecting from available alternatives, but to figure out what one has reason to do, all things considered. A rational agent wants to ensure that her choices conform to her all-things-considered-best judgment concerning what she should choose or do. Such an agent would still have this sort of aim even if she were aware that she lived in a causally determined world in which alternative possibilities were unavailable.

Finally, Fischer inquires into why we value morally responsible action. He proposes that when an agent exhibits guidance control and is thus morally responsible for his conduct, he need not be understood to be making a difference to the world; so the value of moral responsibility cannot be the value of making a difference. Rather, Fischer ventures that we conceive of the value of responsibility somewhat in the fashion in which we conceive of the value of artistic self-expression. Just as an artist's creative activity has value because, in engaging in such activity, he expresses himself in a certain way--the artist does or need not make a difference but he does make a statement--so the distinctive value in acting in such a way as to be morally responsible lies in a certain sort of self-expression. Fischer contends that life has a narrative structure in that "the meanings and values of the parts of our lives are affected by their narrative relationships with other parts of our lives, and the welfare value of our lives as a whole are not simple additive functions of the values of the parts" (116). In this sense, our lives are stories. In performing an action for which we are morally responsible, "we can be understood as writing a sentence in the book of our life" (116).

The essays in this volume, together with Fischer's other pieces, have played a major role in shaping the contemporary debate in the metaphysics of free will. Whether or not one ultimately agrees with the relevant positions that Fischer defends, one can ill afford to ignore the wealth of wisdom in the story of responsibility that Fischer carefully crafts. I confine critical attention to two of its elements.

Fischer concedes too much when he claims that his semicompatibilism would be far less engaging if determinism undermined other central moral assessments such as deontic ones. After all, the conditions of satisfaction for the truth of one species of moral judgment need not coincide with those of another species. Further, Fischer attempts to insulate the integrity of deontic judgments against determinism by appealing to the premise that if a person (like Sally) is morally blameworthy for an action, then it is morally wrong for her to perform that action. If one accepts this premise, and if determinism undermines wrongness, then determinism undermines blameworthiness. But I have argued that this premise is false. Blameworthiness requires not that an agent do wrong but that she perform an action on the basis of the belief that she is doing wrong in performing it.

What Fischer offers on the value of moral responsibility is both intriguing and puzzling. First, there is the rich ambiguity of the terms 'value' and 'valuable.' In their most fundamental senses, to value something is to be favorably disposed toward it, and something is valuable if it is good--if it is worthy of being something toward which one is favorably disposed. But it seems that this is not the sense of 'value' or of 'valuable' at issue. With free action, for instance, one might propose in response to why such action is valuable (in the strict sense) that it is intrinsically good. Fischer suggests another sense of 'value' which is more apt, given the context. He says that when an agent exhibits guidance control and is, hence, morally responsible, "it is unattractive to think that the explanation of his moral responsibility--the intuitive reason why we hold him morally responsible--is that he makes a difference to the world. Rather…he expresses himself in a certain way" (114). The proposal is that the sense of 'value' at issue is associated with an intuitive explanation of why the person is morally responsible when she is so responsible. Elaborating, Fischer writes:

[S]ome of the debates about whether alternative possibilities are required for moral responsibility may at some level be fueled by different intuitive pictures of moral responsibility. It may be that the proponents of the regulative control model are implicitly in the grip of the "making-a-difference" picture, whereas the proponents of the guidance control model are implicitly accepting the self-expression picture…. [P]resenting the self-expression picture can be helpful for the following reason. The debates about whether alternative possibilities are required for moral responsibility have issued in what some might consider stalemates; …I do not know of any decisive arguments (employing Frankfurt-type examples) for the conclusion that only guidance control, and not regulative control, is required for moral responsibility. My suggestion is that if one finds the self-expression picture of moral responsibility more compelling than the making-a-difference picture, then this should incline one toward the conclusion that guidance control exhausts the freedom-relevant component of moral responsibility. (119)

On this estimation of the significance of the self-expression picture, it is not transparent why the value of guidance control is tied to narrative value. Part of what it is to have narrative value, Fischer submits, is that the overall welfare value of one's life is not merely a function of adding up all the momentary levels of well-being. Suppose that one does not (as I do not) renounce "additiveness." Assuming that there are "atoms" of well-being, basic intrinsic value states whose sum in a life exhausts the welfare value of the life for the person who lives that life, why could it not be that self-expression is still tied in some fashion to the agent's "writing sentences" in the story of his life? Second, would shifting the focus of the debate on whether responsibility does in fact require alternative possibilities to the intuitive pictures to which Fischer calls our attention help to break the stalemate between the relevant rivals? I have my doubts. If the value of guidance control is analogous to that of artistic self-expression, one would expect libertarians to plump for the position that artistic creativity, including genuine artistic self-expression, presupposes the falsity of determinism; either such creativity or self-expression requires the sort of authorship or ultimate origination that determinism precludes or it requires indeterministic causation of the constellation of behavior constitutive of such creativity or self-expression.

helpful professor logo

27 Examples of Morals & Ethics (A to Z List)

27 Examples of Morals & Ethics (A to Z List)

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

morals and ethics examples and definition, explained below

Examples of morals include telling the truth and using manners. We get our morals from our family, tradition, culture, society, and personal values set.

Different societies have different standards of moral values. This means there’s no clear set of rules of morals that suits every situation. But below are some moral values examples that most people adhere to across cultures and societies.

List of Morals

The following is a list of morals most of us can agree on:

  • Telling the Truth
  • Do Not Hurt Others’ Feelings
  • Paying a Fair Price
  • Respect for Others
  • Do Unto Others as you would have Done to Yourself
  • Forgive Others
  • Admit Fault
  • Use Manners
  • Wait your Turn
  • Express Gratitude
  • Respect Yourself
  • Respect your Parents
  • Return Favors
  • Ask for Permission
  • Keep Promises
  • Do Not Gossip
  • Respect Difference
  • Do Not be Jealous
  • Do Not Swear
  • Respect the Rules in Others’ Houses
  • Turn the Other Cheek
  • Do not Take Bribes
  • Use Non-Violence

What are some Examples of Morals?

1. Telling the Truth – Lying to others is disrespectful of them. Even when telling the truth might hurt us, it’s still important to be truthful to be true to our best selves.

2. Do not Hurt Others’ Feelings – While the above moral value of telling the truth is important, sometimes the truth hurts. In these cases, we need to find ways to be truthful to others without hurting their feelings.

3. Fair Play – Fair play means making sure you don’t try to give yourself an unfair advantage against others in a head-to-head match. For example, if you are an online video game, you make sure no one is allowed to use cheat codes.

Related: Examples of Integrity

4. Hard Work – When we agree to take on a job, it’s our responsibility to put effort in and work hard for our employer. We call this work ethic . It would be wrong to sit around and not do anything all day then take a paycheck for the day.

5. Pay a Fair Price – Most of us would consider it to be immoral to underpay an employee. Someone who’s desperate for work might have to take a low-paid job, but it’s still the employer’s responsibility to pay the person a fair rate so they can eat food and pay their rent.

6. Respect for Others – Respecting others has a lot of different features. It might include asking them for permission, giving them personal space, or making sure you are not rude when you talk to them.

7. Do unto Others – This is the golden rule found in so many different religions: do unto others as you would have done unto yourself . It simply means that you should put yourself in the shoes of the people around you. You should ask yourself if you would be happy if someone treated you the way you’re treating them.

Related: 59 School Values Ideas

8. Forgive Others – Forgiveness is a central moral in many religions as well. For example, Christianity teaches people to follow the lead of Jesus, who is said to have forgiven people’s sins. In the same vein, you should forgive others if they are truly sorry for their mistakes.

9. Admit Fault – Many people choose to lie and squirm rather than confess that they did something wrong. This is, of course, not very ethical! The right thing to do is apologize and attempt to right your wrongs.

10. Use Manners – Manners includes saying please, thank you, and you’re welcome. But it also includes thinking about all the taboos and customs you need to follow, like making sure you don’t tailgate when driving or letting people leave the train before you step on.

11. Be Kind – Kindness involves making sure you make people feel welcome, trying not to be rude or judgmental, and being willing to be helpful when you’re needed. Kind people try to put out good feelings to those around them.

12. Wait your Turn – Most cultures value waiting in a line (or queue) on a first come first served basis when waiting for a service. This might include waiting for the bus or waiting to be served by the bank teller.

13. Express Gratitude – In the United States, they have a special holiday called Thanksgiving where everyone comes together to remember to express gratitude for what they have. But we don’t need to do this just one day per year. We usually consider it to be good manners and a sign of a moral person to express gratitude to people who you are thankful for.

Related: The 5 British Values

14. Respect Yourself – respecting yourself means that you set high standards for yourself in all areas of your life. You don’t go around saying degrading things about yourself or putting yourself in situations where you will be mistreated by others. Self-respect is important for your own mental health, confidence, and wellbeing.

15. Respect your Parents – in many cultures respecting your parents is a central moral principle. Respect for your parents means that you will acknowledge that they have more wisdom and life experience than you and that they have the best interest of you in their hearts. So, sometimes you may disagree with your parents but, especially as a child, you will need to respect their decisions until you are old enough to make decisions on your own.

16. Return Favors – when someone does you a favor it is usually considered the right thing to do to repay that favor. For example, if your friend helps you out by driving you to an exam, then next time they need a drive somewhere it is probably expected of you that you would help them out if you can.

17. Ask for Permission – we’re raised his children to say please and thank you as a culturally appropriate way of showing recognition and respect. When you want something that is not yours, you will need to ask for permission before taking it. In English speaking countries you’ll usually want to say please when asking for permission.

18. Keep Promises – people who do not keep promises usually find themselves without many friends. This is because those people end up being seen as unreliable and untrustworthy. If you cannot keep a promise, it is usually expected that you tell the person and apologize, and even explain why it is that you will have to go back on the promise you made.

19. Be Humble – Humility is a greatly respected trait. It doesn’t mean being passive or submissive. Instead, it means being grateful for what you have and acknowledging that your successes don’t make you a better person than others. One way to practice humility is to reflect on how many people help you in your life to get to where you are today. This will help you realize that you have a lot to be thankful for and prevent you from becoming arrogant.

Related: Examples of Moral Panic

20. Do Not Gossip – A gossip is a person who says things behind other people’s backs. For example, the gossip may get information they learned about someone and share it amongst all of their friends even though the person the information is about may not want this to happen. When you act like a gossip, the people around you will make a subconscious note that you are not trustworthy with information.

21. Respect Difference – we live in a multicultural world where we share al public spaces with people of all different backgrounds, cultures, and opinions. In this context, intolerance is increasingly being seen as a moral failing. Respecting difference means being OK with sharing a society with people who have different lives, cultures, and practices to our own.

22. Do Not be Jealous – Jealousy is a natural human emotion. You might feel jealous about a friend who makes more money than you or someone who has had more luck than you in their life. A wise person recognizes jealousy within them and makes an effort to push back against that emotion. One way to do this is to reflect on all the luck and support that you have received in your own past. This will make you realize how grateful you should be for what you have rather than being jealous of what other people have.

23. Do Not Swear – In most languages, there are words that I considered inappropriate to use in polite conversation. Using those words will make the other people in the conversation see you as being unable to maintain the moral standards set by society.

24. Respect the Rules in Others’ Houses – Everyone will have slightly different rules in their own personal space. For example, one person may have the rule not to wear shoes in their house while you might be perfectly OK with wearing shoes in your own house. This is just one small example. We need to remember to respect the rules of other people’s private spaces just like we would expect them to respect the rules in our private spaces.

25. Turn the Other Cheek – Turning the other cheek is a saying from the Bible. It means that you do not have to take revenge on people who did the wrong thing by you. In secular talk, you might use the phrase to take the higher ground. This means simply to maintain your own moral standards and don’t do immoral things just because other people around you are being immoral.

26. Do not Take Bribes – Bribery happens when someone gives you money to do something immoral or illegal. People in positions of power like police officers and politicians will find themselves in positions where they are offered bribes regularly. However, this is widely considered to be an immoral activity.

27. Use Non-Violence – When you need to take action to protect or defend people, it’s always best to use non-violence as much as possible. In democracies, there are ideally avenues to seek justice without violence. Examples include protesting, running for office, or taking an issue to the courts.

Religious Morals

Religious morals are moral principles that are written into religious codes, such as a holy text. Most major religions have moral frameworks for followers to adhere to.

The most common religious moral code that appears in nearly all religions is the golden rule: “do unto others as you would have done unto yourself.”

This moral code asks us to put ourselves in the shoes of someone else and to make sure we treat them in a way we’d want to be treated if we were in their situation.

Morals in the Abrahamic Religions (The Ten Commandments)

Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all have their own moral codes. However, one moral code that applies to all three is the ten commandments. These commandments were written in stone by the prophet Moses.

The ten commandments are:

  • I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any gods before Me.
  • Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
  • Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
  • Honor thy father and mother.
  • Thou shalt not kill.
  • Thou shalt not commit adultery.
  • Thou shalt not steal.
  • Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
  • Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.
  • Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.

Morals in Aesop’s Fables

Morals have also been taught in literature, movies, and other texts for millennia. We will often call a moral story for children a “fable”. This is a story that teaches a child an important lesson about how to behave.

Some of the most famous (and oldest) moral fables come from Aesop, an ancient Greek storyteller who was born in the year 620 BCE.

Today, we still read Aesop’s fables to children. Some of the morals taught by Aesop include:

  • A Good friend is there when they are needed most – In The Bear and the Two Travelers , we are taught that we only know our true friends in times of need. Similarly, in The Bull and the Goat , we are taught not to take advantage of friends in need.
  • Avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease – This means that you need to be careful about “making a deal with the devil” to fix something. Sometimes, the deal (or remedy) is worse than what you were trying to fix. This is the moral in the story The Hawk, the Kite, and the Pigeons .
  • Do good, don’t just speak about good – In The Hunter and the Woodman we learn that deeds are more important than words.
  • Do not be Proud – People who go around acting proud and boasting about their success often find themselves falling from grace. We learn this moral in the story The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle .
  • Do not pretend to be something you are not – In The Crow and the Raven we learn that pretending to be something you are not will end up getting you into trouble. You will lose the respect of the people around you.
  • Do not seek to injure others or you may end up being injured – In The Horse and the Stag , we learn that seeking to harm others often comes back and causing harm to ourselves instead.
  • Don’t make much ado about nothing – This means not to make a fuss about something that doesn’t deserve to be fussed over. If you do so, people won’t believe you when you fuss over something important. This is the moral message in Aesop’s stories The Boy who Cried Wolf and The Mountain in Labor .
  • Learn from Others’ Misfortunes – You don’t have to make mistakes. Pay attention to other people’s mistakes and learn from them. This is the moral in The Sick Lion .
  • Mind your own business – Prying into other people’s business can upset others and find you in a lot of trouble. Do not pry and do not gossip. This is the moral in the story The Seagull and the Kite .
  • One Lie Leads to Many, so Do Not Lie in the First Place – We often use the term “a web of lies” to explain someone who piles lies on top of lies to protect their original lie that they told. This is the moral in The Monkey and the Dolphin .
  • Treat your family with respect – If you cannot respect your family, then how can you be expected to respect strangers? This is the moral in The Master and His Dogs .

There are examples of morals in literature, religious texts, and our cultural upbringing that help us to lead a good life.

By establishing a personal moral code based on our own critical thinking , learning from others, and listening to people we respect, we can ensure we are good and ethical people throughout our lives.

Chris

  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 20 Montessori Toddler Bedrooms (Design Inspiration)
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
  • Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

2 thoughts on “27 Examples of Morals & Ethics (A to Z List)”

' src=

Thank you for the simplicity of your articles that carry important foundational themes. I am a life coach that serves predominantly young adults. The lists of attributes in your personal identity, personal values, and morals articles will be very helpful to my clients as they seek to understand themselves and make important decisions about their lives and futures.

' src=

Thanks for the kind words Heather and I hope your clients find value in the articles.

Best, Chris

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

alis yimyen/Shutterstock

Ethics and Morality

Morality, Ethics, Evil, Greed

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

To put it simply, ethics represents the moral code that guides a person’s choices and behaviors throughout their life. The idea of a moral code extends beyond the individual to include what is determined to be right, and wrong, for a community or society at large.

Ethics is concerned with rights, responsibilities, use of language, what it means to live an ethical life, and how people make moral decisions. We may think of moralizing as an intellectual exercise, but more frequently it's an attempt to make sense of our gut instincts and reactions. It's a subjective concept, and many people have strong and stubborn beliefs about what's right and wrong that can place them in direct contrast to the moral beliefs of others. Yet even though morals may vary from person to person, religion to religion, and culture to culture, many have been found to be universal, stemming from basic human emotions.

  • The Science of Being Virtuous
  • Understanding Amorality
  • The Stages of Moral Development

Dirk Ercken/Shutterstock

Those who are considered morally good are said to be virtuous, holding themselves to high ethical standards, while those viewed as morally bad are thought of as wicked, sinful, or even criminal. Morality was a key concern of Aristotle, who first studied questions such as “What is moral responsibility?” and “What does it take for a human being to be virtuous?”

We used to think that people are born with a blank slate, but research has shown that people have an innate sense of morality . Of course, parents and the greater society can certainly nurture and develop morality and ethics in children.

Humans are ethical and moral regardless of religion and God. People are not fundamentally good nor are they fundamentally evil. However, a Pew study found that atheists are much less likely than theists to believe that there are "absolute standards of right and wrong." In effect, atheism does not undermine morality, but the atheist’s conception of morality may depart from that of the traditional theist.

Animals are like humans—and humans are animals, after all. Many studies have been conducted across animal species, and more than 90 percent of their behavior is what can be identified as “prosocial” or positive. Plus, you won’t find mass warfare in animals as you do in humans. Hence, in a way, you can say that animals are more moral than humans.

The examination of moral psychology involves the study of moral philosophy but the field is more concerned with how a person comes to make a right or wrong decision, rather than what sort of decisions he or she should have made. Character, reasoning, responsibility, and altruism , among other areas, also come into play, as does the development of morality.

GonzaloAragon/Shutterstock

The seven deadly sins were first enumerated in the sixth century by Pope Gregory I, and represent the sweep of immoral behavior. Also known as the cardinal sins or seven deadly vices, they are vanity, jealousy , anger , laziness, greed, gluttony, and lust. People who demonstrate these immoral behaviors are often said to be flawed in character. Some modern thinkers suggest that virtue often disguises a hidden vice; it just depends on where we tip the scale .

An amoral person has no sense of, or care for, what is right or wrong. There is no regard for either morality or immorality. Conversely, an immoral person knows the difference, yet he does the wrong thing, regardless. The amoral politician, for example, has no conscience and makes choices based on his own personal needs; he is oblivious to whether his actions are right or wrong.

One could argue that the actions of Wells Fargo, for example, were amoral if the bank had no sense of right or wrong. In the 2016 fraud scandal, the bank created fraudulent savings and checking accounts for millions of clients, unbeknownst to them. Of course, if the bank knew what it was doing all along, then the scandal would be labeled immoral.

Everyone tells white lies to a degree, and often the lie is done for the greater good. But the idea that a small percentage of people tell the lion’s share of lies is the Pareto principle, the law of the vital few. It is 20 percent of the population that accounts for 80 percent of a behavior.

We do know what is right from wrong . If you harm and injure another person, that is wrong. However, what is right for one person, may well be wrong for another. A good example of this dichotomy is the religious conservative who thinks that a woman’s right to her body is morally wrong. In this case, one’s ethics are based on one’s values; and the moral divide between values can be vast.

Studio concept/shutterstock

Psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg established his stages of moral development in 1958. This framework has led to current research into moral psychology. Kohlberg's work addresses the process of how we think of right and wrong and is based on Jean Piaget's theory of moral judgment for children. His stages include pre-conventional, conventional, post-conventional, and what we learn in one stage is integrated into the subsequent stages.

The pre-conventional stage is driven by obedience and punishment . This is a child's view of what is right or wrong. Examples of this thinking: “I hit my brother and I received a time-out.” “How can I avoid punishment?” “What's in it for me?” 

The conventional stage is when we accept societal views on rights and wrongs. In this stage people follow rules with a  good boy  and nice girl  orientation. An example of this thinking: “Do it for me.” This stage also includes law-and-order morality: “Do your duty.”

The post-conventional stage is more abstract: “Your right and wrong is not my right and wrong.” This stage goes beyond social norms and an individual develops his own moral compass, sticking to personal principles of what is ethical or not.

moral essay example

We don't often pay attention to the feelings, thoughts, and sensations driving our actions. Mindful balance of head and heart is key to making the “right” decision. Here's how.

moral essay example

Research sheds light on shared personality traits of people with strong moral character.

moral essay example

Personal Perspective: Many people who access death-with-dignity medication do not use it, but are still comforted by having autonomy and choice. Here's a real-life story.

moral essay example

An intentional response to the climate crisis.

moral essay example

Malpractice litigation can be emotionally devastating to a healthcare practitioner. But there are ways of preventing this.

moral essay example

Shakespeare was gifted with the ability to reveal, on stage, his characters' hidden thoughts, feelings and motivations. He was a psychologist of sorts.

moral essay example

The story of the Evil Queen’s mirror is a warning about using the mirror for vapid validation. It should raise questions for us.

moral essay example

Sometimes, self-acceptance is being satisfied with how you are. Other times, it means changing how you behave. The first step is acknowledging that life is messy and contradictory.

moral essay example

Sex therapists face ethical dilemmas every week—and many have nothing to do with sex. Most therapists get insufficient training about the difficult real-world decisions we face.

Rembrandt, Two Women Teaching a Child to Walk, c 1635

To miss out on occasions worthy of rejoicing in life represents the gravest of misfortunes.

  • Find a Therapist
  • Find a Treatment Center
  • Find a Psychiatrist
  • Find a Support Group
  • Find Online Therapy
  • United States
  • Brooklyn, NY
  • Chicago, IL
  • Houston, TX
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • New York, NY
  • Portland, OR
  • San Diego, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Seattle, WA
  • Washington, DC
  • Asperger's
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Chronic Pain
  • Eating Disorders
  • Passive Aggression
  • Personality
  • Goal Setting
  • Positive Psychology
  • Stopping Smoking
  • Low Sexual Desire
  • Relationships
  • Child Development
  • Self Tests NEW
  • Therapy Center
  • Diagnosis Dictionary
  • Types of Therapy

September 2024 magazine cover

It’s increasingly common for someone to be diagnosed with a condition such as ADHD or autism as an adult. A diagnosis often brings relief, but it can also come with as many questions as answers.

  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Gaslighting
  • Affective Forecasting
  • Neuroscience

Ethics and Morality Relationship Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Introduction

Relationship between ethics and morality, ethical choices available to hr managers.

Bibliography

Over the years, ethics and morality have often been used synonymously. Although the two terms are closely related both in conceptual and ideal meaning, they have both differences and similarities. This paper, therefore, discusses the relationship between ethics and morality, giving examples of each, and also explores the ethical choices available for human resources managers.

Ethics is a term used to refer to the body of doctrines that guide individuals to behave in a way that is ideologically right, fine, and appropriate. Guidelines or principles that constitute do not at all times lead an individual towards just a solitary moral but act as a way to direct the individual to follow a set of codes of conducts whose objective is to foster overall desirable behaviors in an individual or a group of people (George, 2006).

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ethics are regulations that are clearly stipulated and that guide individuals in determining what to do and what not to. In many organizations, ethics are guided by sets of written laws and regulations that guide the way individuals within them should behave (Conroy & Emerson, 2004).

For example, there could be written principles that guide the way customer service should be undertaken in the organization, rules guarding salespeople against selling inappropriate products to the customers, rules guarding against corruption or undue extortion of money from the customers, principles that direct employees to behave in the highest level of professionalism, integrity, honesty, and humility while serving customers and which are well written down in the organization’s code of conduct.

According to Peterson et al (2005), ethics are a set of rules that direct individuals to decide to act in a correct way. The latter asserts that ethics are embedded in and guided by laws that redirect individuals from doing what their conscience directs them to do and do what is morally correct i.e. they help an individual to avoid doing what he or she wants to but rather do what is correct in moral standards. For instance, someone’s conscience tells him to climb up a neighbor’s apple tree to eat his apples without the latter’s consent, but he shrugs off his personal selfish feelings and abstains from doing such a thing and which he has the power to do due to the respect for the neighbor and his property. The person will make a decision not to eat the neighbor’s apples hence he will have acted in an ethical way.

Ethics leads to honesty, a show of respect for others, and behavior that is consistent with one’s obligation as a member of the organization or a citizen to a country (Conroy & Emerson, 2004). According to the latter, ethics are not innate in an individual but are mainly exotically controlled by laws and regulations are set and enforced by human beings or authority. For example, ethics in marketing are controlled by laws that restrict marketers from engaging in business malpractices such as unhealthy competition, poor product prices, overpricing, and hoarding among other business vices.

George (2006) defines morality from two main perspectives. From an individuals’ perspective, morality is a set of individual’s standards, principles, or customs that greatly shapes an individual’s character trait and way of behavior or the level of which an individual is able to willingly uphold the generally accepted standards of behaviors within a society that he lives in at a specific instance in time. On the other hand, George asserts that societal morals are the universally acceptable code of conduct in a certain society at a specific point of time, and which autonomously guides the behavior of its members.

For instance, stealing is generally not acceptable in society at any one time. As such, it is immoral to steal. In the same way, if the society holds that it is moral to belong to a religion in the 21 st century, it would be immoral according to such a society for a member to be without religion. Similarly, in a society that prostitution is rebuked, it would be immoral for an individual within it to engage in prostitution. Societal standards/ principles change rapidly over time. Similarly, moral standards within a society will vary with time. For example, it was moral to hold slaves in the past. However, this is no longer acceptable in modern society hence it would be immoral for an individual to hold a slave today.

Ethics are guidelines for proper behavior or conduct and they are absolutely not pegged to the specified period in time. As a result, they usually have limited variations overtimes. On the other hand, morality is the acceptable standard within a society at a given point in time (Peterson et al, 2005).

As a result, they change over time. Ethics are more basic and permanent than morality; hence morality is a subset of ethics. Similarly, ethics lead to morality whereas vice versa is not applicable. Moreover, a change in ethics is likely to generate a change in morality. In circumstances where a society or institution amends its code of ethics, the moral standards will obviously be altered (Peterson et al, 2005).

For example, the ethical code of conduct led to the alteration of the slavery law in the eighteenth century which led to slavery being regarded as immoral since then. Unlike the ethical code of conduct which is entrenched in the written artificial laws, morality is more or less entrenched in and controlled by the individual’s personality. As a result, a change in a person’s character trait for the better will make him or her more moral and vice versa. However, the similarity between ethics and morality is that they are all geared towards enhancing the desirable relationship between individuals in the organization, institutions, or society in which they live (Peterson et al, 2005).

There are several ethical choices that are available to human resource managers. These include:

Equity in opportunities and neutrality

Employment takes place in a multifaceted environment. As a result it is ethical for the human resource managers involved in the employment or appointment of personnel in the organization to give equal opportunity for various individual interested in the job to compete on a level ground and pick the most suitable for the job without any discrimination whatsoever(University of Western Australia, 2007). For instance, the recruitment process should be devoid of nepotism, corruption, undue charges to the candidates, bias and prejudices. Employment should be carried out via an open, fair and due process. In addition, HR managers should desist from taking positions that appears to favor one side during dissolution of employees disputes (Lowry , 2006).

Fairness in the treatment of employees and quietism

HR manager will be ethical if they establish an organizational environment in which all employees are treated in a just manner. For instance, the managers should ensure equitable reward system for all employees, just promotions and a system that is without favoritism based on any aspects. In addition, employees need to be treated like people with rights to be honored and defended by the HR manager (Lowry , 2006).

Sexual harassment of employees

The human resources managers will be ethical if they desist from gender stereotypes and sexual harassment of employees. Cases of sexually mistreating of employees by human resources managers are not only unethical but absolutely unacceptable and illegal (University of Western Australia, 2007). For instance, some manager demand for sexual relations with female employees as a leeway to giving them a favor, promotion, salary increment or even initial employment which is against the HR ethical code of conduct (Lowry , 2006).

Privacy and Confidentiality

Human resources code of ethics requires that employee privacy and personal life be respected at all times. For instance, it will be in breach of the ethical code of HR to force the employee to reveal his sexual life information (University of Western Australia, 2007). In addition it is the duty of the manager to safeguard the information given to him by the employees, by treating it with the highest level of confidentiality (Lowry , 2006). For example, if the HR has the information of the employee’s health profile, such information must not be released to the outside without the consent of the employee.

Poaching of employees

In industry HR managers may tend to poach competitors employees so as to lessen their competitive power. In doing this they entice the competitors employees in order to gain undue advantage over rivals which is unethical (University of Western Australia, 2007). In addition ethical human resource managers should be ethically assertive. Remain neutral in resolving employee’s disputes, ethical in dealing with errant employees and should be ethically reactive.

Ethics and morality are two terms that are closely related and which individuals often tend to refer to synonymously. However, the two are different in that while ethics are sets of principles that guide desirable behavior or conducts, morality is the generally acceptable behavior within a society at a given period of time. In addition, morality unlike ethics keeps on changing from time to time as societal values change (Peterson et al, 2005).

Conclusively, it can be held that morality is a subset of ethics since ethics shapes morality while ethics is bigger than morality. Finally, the ethical choices available for HR managers includes, offering equal opportunities in employment, treating all employees fairly, respecting the employees, avoiding ill-led poaching of competitors employees to gain undue advantage over them, respecting employees privacy and confidentiality of information and not sexually mistreating employees. Breaching any of these will be unethical on the part of the HR manger.

Conroy, S.J. and Emerson, (2004) “Business Ethics and Religion: Religiosity as a Predictor of Ethical Awareness among Student Inc Journal of Business Ethics 50 (4):247-258.

George Desnoyers (2006), the relationship between ethics and morality: Inc the Journal of behavioral psychology. Vol. 11 167-186.

Lowry , 2006, Ethical Choices for HR Managers Inc Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources; 44; p.171.

Peterson, et al (2005) Ethics vs. Morality – The Distinction between Ethics and Morals. Web.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy- The Definition of Morality. Web.

University of Western Australia (2007), code of ethics and code of conduct for human resources. Web.

  • Tolerance with Other Beliefs and Values
  • Ethical Dilemma of Law Enforcement Code of Ethics
  • Failure to Achieve “Meeting of the Minds”
  • Job Evaluation of the HR Manager: Performance, Safety, and Professional Development
  • Rights, Equity and the State: Dispute Resolution Case
  • Organ Donation: Ethical Dilemmas
  • Ethical Practices in the Workplace
  • Moral Clients & Agents and Their Evaluation
  • Abortion in Islamic View
  • The Ethical Concern Over Meat Consumption
  • Chicago (A-D)
  • Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, November 5). Ethics and Morality Relationship. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morality-relationship/

"Ethics and Morality Relationship." IvyPanda , 5 Nov. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morality-relationship/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'Ethics and Morality Relationship'. 5 November.

IvyPanda . 2021. "Ethics and Morality Relationship." November 5, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morality-relationship/.

1. IvyPanda . "Ethics and Morality Relationship." November 5, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morality-relationship/.

IvyPanda . "Ethics and Morality Relationship." November 5, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/ethics-and-morality-relationship/.

  • Undergraduate
  • High School
  • Architecture
  • American History
  • Asian History
  • Antique Literature
  • American Literature
  • Asian Literature
  • Classic English Literature
  • World Literature
  • Creative Writing
  • Linguistics
  • Criminal Justice
  • Legal Issues
  • Anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Political Science
  • World Affairs
  • African-American Studies
  • East European Studies
  • Latin-American Studies
  • Native-American Studies
  • West European Studies
  • Family and Consumer Science
  • Social Issues
  • Women and Gender Studies
  • Social Work
  • Natural Sciences
  • Pharmacology
  • Earth science
  • Agriculture
  • Agricultural Studies
  • Computer Science
  • IT Management
  • Mathematics
  • Investments
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Engineering
  • Aeronautics
  • Medicine and Health
  • Alternative Medicine
  • Communications and Media
  • Advertising
  • Communication Strategies
  • Public Relations
  • Educational Theories
  • Teacher's Career
  • Chicago/Turabian
  • Company Analysis
  • Education Theories
  • Shakespeare
  • Canadian Studies
  • Food Safety
  • Relation of Global Warming and Extreme Weather Condition
  • Movie Review
  • Admission Essay
  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Application Essay
  • Article Critique
  • Article Review
  • Article Writing
  • Book Review
  • Business Plan
  • Business Proposal
  • Capstone Project
  • Cover Letter
  • Creative Essay
  • Dissertation
  • Dissertation - Abstract
  • Dissertation - Conclusion
  • Dissertation - Discussion
  • Dissertation - Hypothesis
  • Dissertation - Introduction
  • Dissertation - Literature
  • Dissertation - Methodology
  • Dissertation - Results
  • GCSE Coursework
  • Grant Proposal
  • Marketing Plan
  • Multiple Choice Quiz
  • Personal Statement
  • Power Point Presentation
  • Power Point Presentation With Speaker Notes
  • Questionnaire
  • Reaction Paper

Research Paper

  • Research Proposal
  • SWOT analysis
  • Thesis Paper
  • Online Quiz
  • Literature Review
  • Movie Analysis
  • Statistics problem
  • Math Problem
  • All papers examples
  • How It Works
  • Money Back Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • We Are Hiring

Ethics and Morality, Essay Example

Pages: 5

Words: 1461

Hire a Writer for Custom Essay

Use 10% Off Discount: "custom10" in 1 Click 👇

You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

According to White (1991), ethics is defined as the segment in philosophy concerned with right and wrong and other issues related to human conduct (p. 14). Morality is defined as a system of behavior based on standards of right and wrong. Ethical knowledge is a necessary condition for becoming a moral agent because it establishes a foundation and a framework on which to base moral decisions. It serves as a guide to moral behavior based on the knowledge of right and wrong. If a person does not have a moral framework to follow, he or she will not be adequately equipped with the knowledge between right and wrong. Although morality is often innate, it is still necessary to have a strong ethical foundation to be an effective moral agent.

Philosopher Immanuel Kant, gained fame for his work which propagated respect for one another. According to Kant, there is a positive linear relationship between personal needs and self-love. In other words, a person who needs something will rely on others for help(Janaway, 2012). Those who provide the help do so because they feel morally obligated. Where then does the moral obligation stem from?

The Euthyphro

The Euthyphro asks whether something that is morally good is commanded by God because it is morally good, or is it morally good because God commanded it(Combs, 2011). This dialogue is philosophically important because it addresses the issue of morality from the perspective of theists as well as atheists. In other words, it created a debate as to the proper definition of morality. Socrates argued that the pious is not the same as those loved by God. The Euthyphro does not define the pious, which is what it initially aimed to do; instead it gives characteristics of the pious. In order to identify the philosophical lessons learned from this debate, it is essential to identify the dilemma associated with the debate. It can be divided into two separate issues: (a) is what is commanded by God commanded by Him because it is right, and (b) is something right because it is commanded by God?

Intellectuals and realists argue that morality exists independently from God’s involvement. In other words, certain actions are right or wrong in and of themselves, regardless of God’s commands. Socrates agreed with this viewpoint. However, theists disagree with this viewpoint by stating that if something exists that is either right or wrong independently of God’s command, which must mean that God does not have supremacy over that thing. Therefore, God is not sovereign. This means that God does not establish right or wrong independently from mankind’s input, instead He relies on man’s interpretation of right and wrong to further His ideals. Theists therefore find this approach unacceptable. Theists also argue that if morality exists without God’s input, then morality would have a certain authority even if God did not exist. It would therefore mean that God would have no impact on morality and would therefore play no important role in human morality. Theists argue that this negates the existence of God and therefore disagree with this viewpoint. Non-theists use this argument to deny the existence of God by claiming that if morality exists independently from God, then God is not needed to establish moral foundations, and therefore does not exist; or at least, does not need to exist.

The second part of the dilemma asks if something is right because it is commanded by God. This option argues that morality will not exist if God does not exist. In other words, without the moral guidance and existence of God, morality would cease to exist and nothing would be right or wrong.  Voluntarists argue that something is good because God allows it and is bad or wrong because God prohibits it. Non-theists argue that if there is no reason for morality to exist, other than the fact that God wills it so, then it would mean that morality is based purely on God’s will, and not on reason. This would mean than morality is subjective, judged by God, and determined by Him. Also, if this is true, then God is not just or rational. Lastly, this would imply that on God’s command, anything can be good or bad. So, God would be the sole decision-maker on what is good or bad. This would mean that morality, which is believed to be individual behavior based on personal standards of good or bad, would not exist anymore. Free will would not exist either. So, the philosophical lesson learned from this dialogue is one of reason and morality. Morality determines individual actions. Individuals must reason to determine what is moral and what is not. Morality is essential to life. Whether or not a person believes in God does not give that person reason to act in a manner which is morally irresponsible.

The Unjust Man Argument

Plato argues that the just man is happier because by making just decisions he instills order in his life. The just man has a well-ordered soul and bases all his decisions on reason. This means that reason will determine and limit the just man’s desires, whether they are just or unjust(Nails, 2002). If the just man forgoes reason to do something which is unjust, he will contaminate his well-ordered soul. This would result in inner turmoil. Although certain desires will be attained by acting unjustly, the man’s soul would become chaotic. This chaos would translate into unhappiness. So, the unjust man would eventually become incredibly unhappy, despite all he has gained by acting unjustly. I am personally persuaded by Plato’s argument. Reason and knowledge set the conditions for a just and happy soul because it defies any reason for unjust behavior. In western society most people have good moral standards. Our behavior is guided by our moral standards. When a situation arises where we stand to gain something by acting unjustly, we are forced to examine our morality. Through reason and knowledge about consequences and right and wrong, we can make a sound decision based on our individual moral ideals(Nails, 2002). If our moral are sound, we make a decision that is just and we feel good about that decision. This results in a happy soul.

Aristotle describes function of man as the rational pursuit of virtue. Virtue is described as that which is good; however, in this pursuit, one must first identify what is good. Aristotle argues that good is not just good. Ultimate good is the higher good, the good that is more desirable than any other good. In order to be the highest good, Aristotle names three qualities: it must be desirable for itself, it is not desirable for the sake of another good, and all other goods are considered desirable for its sake (Kraut, 2010). He argues that humans live to attain the ultimate good. In other words, man lives to attain the utmost well-being. Money, health, etc. are mere tools to obtain the goal of well-being. He argues that happiness happens when man does something to reach his highest goal of well-being. Happiness is not a state of well-being, but rather the pursuit of it. “[Happiness] consists in those lifelong activities that actualize the virtues of the rational part of the soul,” (Kraut, 2010). So, based on Aristotle’s description on the function of man, it is safe to say that searching for a higher good, for the ultimate good, will bring happiness to a person. A person will therefore not be truly happy unless he or she actively seeks well-being.

Good deeds are the result of good morals. Some of the most notable philosophers of modern history all agree that in order to be a good moral agent, one must have solid ethical knowledge. Strong ethics establishes a framework for admirable moral conduct. In other words, a person’s ethical foundation is a fundamental component of that person’s moral decision. It teaches the individual the difference between right and wrong, and the value and consequences of all decisions. Without a moral framework, a person will not understand the difference between right and wrong. Not understanding the difference between right and wrong will result in unjust behavior that will be harmful to the individual and those around him. Morality and knowledge of ethics pertains to all aspects of live and influences each and every decision.

Combs, B. E. (2011). Plato’s “Euthyphro”: An Examination of the Socratic Method in the Definitional Dialogues. Austin: The University of Texas at Austin.

Janaway, C. (2012). Necessity, Responsibility and Character: Schopenhauer on Freedom of the Will. Kantian Review, 17 (3), 431-457.

Kraut, R. (2010). Aristotle’s Ethics. Retrieved June 26, 2011, from The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy : http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2010/entries/aristotle-ethics/

Nails, D. (2002). The People of Plato: A Prosopography of Plato and Other Socratics. New York: Hackett Publishing.

White, T. I. (1991). Discovering Philosophy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Simon & Schuster.

Stuck with your Essay?

Get in touch with one of our experts for instant help!

Achilles Character, Essay Example

Institutional Discrimination, Research Paper Example

Time is precious

don’t waste it!

Plagiarism-free guarantee

Privacy guarantee

Secure checkout

Money back guarantee

E-book

Related Essay Samples & Examples

Voting as a civic responsibility, essay example.

Pages: 1

Words: 287

Utilitarianism and Its Applications, Essay Example

Words: 356

The Age-Related Changes of the Older Person, Essay Example

Pages: 2

Words: 448

The Problems ESOL Teachers Face, Essay Example

Pages: 8

Words: 2293

Should English Be the Primary Language? Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 999

The Term “Social Construction of Reality”, Essay Example

Words: 371

Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Ethics — The Role of Moral and Ethics in Our Lives: Why It Matters

test_template

The Role of Moral and Ethics in Our Lives: Why It Matters

  • Categories: Ethics

About this sample

close

Words: 1006 |

Published: Apr 17, 2023

Words: 1006 | Pages: 2 | 6 min read

Table of contents

Who should have good morals, who determines that we should follow good morals, do we have to practice all the values to be morally good.

Image of Dr. Charlotte Jacobson

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

  • 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
  • Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

author

Verified writer

  • Expert in: Philosophy

writer

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 591 words

2 pages / 1047 words

6 pages / 2614 words

1 pages / 482 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Ethics

Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) play a crucial role in the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA). They are highly trained professionals who specialize in the assessment, design, and implementation of behavior [...]

Abortion is a highly debated and controversial topic that has sparked passionate discussions worldwide. In today's society, where individual rights and freedoms are highly valued, the issue of abortion remains a divisive and [...]

In the pantheon of legal narratives, few have resonated with the profound impact and timeless relevance as Reginald Rose's "Twelve Angry Men." Within this microcosm of a jury deliberation room, each juror represents a facet of [...]

"Traveling Through The Dark" is a poem written by William Stafford that explores the complex themes of life and death, responsibility, and the consequences of our actions. The poem tells the story of a man who encounters a dead [...]

In today's business landscape, ethical conduct has become a crucial factor in determining the success and reputation of a company. Consumers, employees, and stakeholders expect organizations to act in a socially responsible [...]

Soren Kierkegaard did not believe that God defined and created human morality, instead he believed that it was up to us as individuals to define our own morals, values, and ethics. Kierkegaard wanted man to ‘wake up’ and [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

  • Instructions Followed To The Letter
  • Deadlines Met At Every Stage
  • Unique And Plagiarism Free

moral essay example

  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Therapy Center
  • When To See a Therapist
  • Types of Therapy
  • Best Online Therapy
  • Best Couples Therapy
  • Managing Stress
  • Sleep and Dreaming
  • Understanding Emotions
  • Self-Improvement
  • Healthy Relationships
  • Student Resources
  • Personality Types
  • Sweepstakes
  • Guided Meditations
  • Verywell Mind Insights
  • 2024 Verywell Mind 25
  • Mental Health in the Classroom
  • Editorial Process
  • Meet Our Review Board
  • Crisis Support

Types of Moral Principles and Examples of Each

Jennifer A. Smith / Getty Images

  • Development

Moral principles are guidelines that people live by to make sure they are doing the right thing. These include things like honesty, fairness, and equality. A person's morality or moral principles can be different from someone else's because they depend on how a person was raised and what is important to them in life.

To better understand your moral principles or those of people in your life, it helps to know the different types of principles and examples of each. We also share their impact, how they develop, and their possible pitfalls. But first, let's look at how moral principles came about.

History of Moral Principles

The history of moral principles dates back to Ancient Greece and Ancient China. Moral principles were important in these societies because they believed that to be successful, people needed a clear sense of right and wrong.

Research on moral principles began with Ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, who wanted to figure out the meaning of virtue. Later, moral principles were studied by philosophers like John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Immanuel Kant.

In the field of psychology, moral principles have been studied in the context of moral development. Psychologists seek to understand how children develop a sense of morality and how moral principles are applied in different contexts. For example, psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg studied moral development in boys from different cultures.

In the contemporary world, moral principles still play an important role and are considered guidelines for living life successfully. As an example, honesty is considered a moral principle because it keeps relationships strong.

Types of Moral Principles

There are two types of moral principles: absolute and relative.

  • Absolute principles are unchanging and universal. They are based on universal truths about the nature of human beings. For example, murder is wrong because it goes against the natural order of things. These are also sometimes called normative moral principles or those that are generally accepted by society.
  • Relative principles change depending on the situation. They are based on opinions and circumstances that may change over time, from person to person, or for different situations. Relative moral principles depend on a person's beliefs , relative to what people perceive as good or bad in relation to themselves. In other words, when someone says something is good, in most cases, they are really saying it is good for them or perhaps it contributes to their well-being.

Morals Examples

Some examples of absolute moral principles include:

  • Don't kill.
  • Speak the truth .
  • Be careful with what you say and do to others.
  • Respect the property of others.
  • Treat people in need or distress as we would want to be treated if our situation were reversed.

Examples of relative moral principles are:

  • It is morally wrong to spend money on a luxury item.
  • It is morally right to care for our planet and preserve it for future generations.

How to Adhere to Moral Principles

Many people strive to live by the moral principles they believe in. But, it can be difficult to follow them all of the time, which is what makes following one's own personal moral values even more valuable.

There are many ways that a person might adhere to their moral principles: through thoughts and feelings, actions, or words. Below are some examples.

  • In thoughts and feelings, a person might strive to be honest by being fair and kind .
  • With actions, a person might live up to their moral principles by not being violent or aggressive.
  • In words, someone might observe their moral principles through politeness.

Impact of Moral Principles

Moral principles are important for society because they help people learn how to get along and live well with each other . They teach us that all human beings deserve the same rights, which is why it's not okay to discriminate against someone based on their ethnicity or race. People who follow moral principles also tend to have a better quality of life than those who don't.

Moral principles can also impact an individual's identity and sense of self-worth . For example, someone who is honest may feel that they are a good person because they follow the moral principle to be truthful at all times. For people with strong values about equality, it might make them feel better about themselves when they don't discriminate against people who are different from them.

Tips to Develop Good Moral Principles

There are various ways to develop moral principles that transcend culture, religion, and country. If you are just starting on your moral journey, you might consider exploring morals in various philosophical texts.

However, there are also many practical steps a person can take to develop good moral principles:

  • Think about what you would do when faced with an ethical dilemma and why you would make those decisions.
  • Ask yourself what you think is right or wrong and make sure your actions are in line with those thoughts.
  • Watch out for double standards , like being nice to one person while not being so kind to another.
  • If it helps, write down a list of the moral principles you want to work on and post them where they're easy to see, like on a mirror or a sticky note that you hang in your workspace.
  • Don't worry if you're not perfectly adhering to your moral principles. The important thing is that you are trying your best.

Pitfalls of Moral Principles

There are some things that can go wrong when following moral principles. Below are some examples of how moral principles may not always guide you toward the best course of action.

First, it's possible to make judgments about others based on your personal values and not theirs. For example, if you think all women should dress conservatively because you believe dressing another way is immoral, you are passing judgment on others based on your own set of standards.

In addition, it can be hard to tell the difference between a moral principle and something that's cultural or part of your upbringing. For example, you might believe women should defer to their husbands because in your culture everyone has traditionally agreed with this idea for generations; however, if you were born into a different country where people don't think this way, you might not feel that it's morally right.

Finally, sometimes people can use moral principles to justify bad behavior like stealing or hurting others in some way. For example, if you steal because you believe it will help the poor, your thoughts could be twisted to say that stealing is okay.

In general, moral principles are beneficial both to society and the individual person. However, blindly following moral principles without considering their origin or using your judgment based on the situation can lead to issues.

The best course of action is usually to adhere to a loosely defined set of moral principles that align with your beliefs and society as a whole while also considering each situation individually. Also, weigh the cost of adhering to your morals in terms of its impact on other individuals. Aim to do right by you and by others so everybody wins.

Puett M. Genealogies of gods, ghosts and humans: the capriciousness of the divine in early Greece and early China . In: Ancient Greece and China Compared .

Park S. Cultural relativism vs. cultural absolutism . Cultura . 2021;18(2):75-91. doi:10.3726/CUL022021.0004

Austin CL, Saylor R, Finley PJ. Moral distress in physicians and nurses: Impact on professional quality of life and turnover . Psych Trauma Theory Res Pract Policy . 2017;9(4):399-406. doi:10.1037/tra0000201

Macko A. Contingencies of self-worth and the strength of deontological and utilitarian inclinations . J Soc Psychol . 2021;161(6):664-682. doi:10.1080/00224545.2020.1860882

By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

IMAGES

  1. Individual Influence Of Moral Reasoning Argumentative Essay Example

    moral essay example

  2. 📌 Essay Example: The Evolution of Moral Philosophy and its Effects on

    moral essay example

  3. College essay: Morals essay

    moral essay example

  4. Contemporary Moral Issues Essay

    moral essay example

  5. 1. A Moral Dillema & What is Moral Essay Example

    moral essay example

  6. Ethical Moral Values Essay Example

    moral essay example

VIDEO

  1. CHOO CHOO train song for kids |kids song English|#kidssong #babysong #cartoon #rhyme

  2. Moral Values Essay || 10 Lines Moral Values in English

  3. Seneca On the Shortness of Life

  4. Honesty is the best policy story in English for Kids 2024

  5. ||Don't underestimate poor people||Anime with grandma story||interesting cartoon ||Inspiring story||

  6. Seneca

COMMENTS

  1. Essay on Moral Values: 8 Selected Essays on Moral Values

    Essay on Moral Values (Essay 4 - 400 Words) Moral values are those characters or values seeded in a person's mind and behavior towards oneself, others and on the whole. It can be the way a person consider other person's life and space or the way they value each other's feelings.

  2. 157 Morality Essay Topics & Examples

    16 min. In your morality essay, you can cover ethical dilemmas, philosophy, or controversial issues. To decide on your topic, check out this compilation of 138 titles prepared by our experts. Table of Contents. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts. 186 writers online.

  3. How to Write an Ethics Paper: Guide & Ethical Essay Examples

    An ethics essay is a type of academic writing that explores ethical issues and dilemmas. Students should evaluates them in terms of moral principles and values. The purpose of an ethics essay is to examine the moral implications of a particular issue, and provide a reasoned argument in support of an ethical perspective.

  4. 221 Ethical Dilemma Essay Topics & Examples

    221 Ethical Dilemma Essay Topics & Examples. An ethical dilemma essay has become an essential part of education for many professions that involve working with people. Below, we've collected topics for writing a paper on this subject. The concepts of ethics and moral dilemmas have originated long ago.

  5. Morality: Definition, Theories, and Examples

    Morality vs. Ethics. Morality and Laws. Morality refers to the set of standards that enable people to live cooperatively in groups. It's what societies determine to be "right" and "acceptable.". Sometimes, acting in a moral manner means individuals must sacrifice their own short-term interests to benefit society.

  6. Ethics and Values: The Moral Compass of Humanity: [Essay Example], 698

    1. Personal Development: Ethics and values shape our character and define our sense of self. They influence our moral compass, guiding us in making choices that align with our beliefs and principles. 2. Relationships: Our ethical framework plays a crucial role in building and maintaining relationships.

  7. Morality Essay Examples

    1. Morality Essay Essay Prompts. Prompt 1: Discuss the role of morality in shaping society and its impact on individuals. Prompt 2: Explore the ethical dilemmas faced by characters in literature and their moral development. Prompt 3: Analyze the moral choices made by historical figures and their consequences. 2. Finding the Perfect Essay Topic. Choosing a compelling topic is half the battle ...

  8. 113 Morality Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    In this article, we have compiled 113 morality essay topic ideas and examples to help you get started on your writing journey. The role of religion in shaping moral values. Moral relativism vs. moral absolutism. The ethics of artificial intelligence. The morality of capital punishment.

  9. Importance of Moral Values

    Importance of Moral Values Essay. Moral values are a large concept that researchers have experienced a difficult time defining. Scientists have explained moral values as the fundamental human emotions or reactions and experiences that drive individuals in distinctive ways (Aminin et al., 2018). Some that I think are definitive of a life well ...

  10. 200 Ethical Topics for Your Essay by

    Use Real-world Examples: Illustrate your points with concrete examples. This not only strengthens your arguments but also helps to explain ethical topics in a relatable way. Structure Your Essay: Organize your essay with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. A well-structured essay makes it easier to present your analysis of ethical issues.

  11. Essay on Morality

    For example, sharing with others is not a law, but it is a kind thing to do. Challenges with Morality. Sometimes it's hard to know what the right thing to do is. Different people or cultures might have different ideas about morality. ... It's important for everyone to try their best to be moral and do the right thing. 500 Words Essay on ...

  12. My Moral Values: A Personal Reflective Essay Example

    My Moral Values. My moral values have been largely influenced by my family upbringing, that is, what my parents taught me while growing up and my strong Christian faith. In addition to this, however, there is considerable contribution from my education, personal experience, my appreciation of how government works and cultural integration in our ...

  13. Morality Essay

    Morality is the value or extent to which an action is right or wrong. Everyone has their own moral code and sense of right and wrong. Our culture today values the outcome more than the means, however, and will forgive lapses in morality, such as deceit, in order to achieve a favorable outcome.

  14. Understanding Moral Action: [Essay Example], 909 words

    By definition, virtue ethics is the focus on character and an interest in the individual's life. A person who follows virtue ethics strives to live as the ideal virtuous person. In addition to this, they also believe that moral decisions should not be made in regards to consequences or duties. Because of the ambiguity of "the virtues ...

  15. My Way: Essays on Moral Responsibility

    Moral responsibility has a number of requirements including a control (or freedom), an "authenticity" (or ownership), and an epistemic requirement. The twelve highly insightful and commandingly influential essays in My Way largely address one or more aspects of the first two requirements. The introductory essay is new; the remaining eleven ...

  16. Moral Obligation: The Main Theories

    Moral responsibility is a state of deserving praise, punishment, blame or reward for an omission or act according to an individual's moral obligation. According to morality, helping others is prosocial behaviour, one of the central pillars of morality. Generally, people view helping others as a moral right and responsibility.

  17. Morality Essay Examples

    Besides, our examples will boost your vocabulary on diverse academic disciplines. 100% Reliable Research Source. When it comes to credibility, our database is top-rated in the market. We thrive on academic integrity and ensure each moral essay example is original and error-free. You can use our essays for referencing purposes or as a research ...

  18. 27 Examples of Morals & Ethics (A to Z List)

    1. Telling the Truth - Lying to others is disrespectful of them. Even when telling the truth might hurt us, it's still important to be truthful to be true to our best selves. 2. Do not Hurt Others' Feelings - While the above moral value of telling the truth is important, sometimes the truth hurts.

  19. Ethics and Morality

    Ethics and Morality. To put it simply, ethics represents the moral code that guides a person's choices and behaviors throughout their life. The idea of a moral code extends beyond the individual ...

  20. Ethics and Morality Relationship

    Ethics are guidelines for proper behavior or conduct and they are absolutely not pegged to the specified period in time. As a result, they usually have limited variations overtimes. On the other hand, morality is the acceptable standard within a society at a given point in time (Peterson et al, 2005). As a result, they change over time.

  21. Ethics and Morality, Essay Example

    According to White (1991), ethics is defined as the segment in philosophy concerned with right and wrong and other issues related to human conduct (p. 14). Morality is defined as a system of behavior based on standards of right and wrong. Ethical knowledge is a necessary condition for becoming a moral agent because it establishes a foundation ...

  22. The Role of Moral and Ethics in Our Lives: Why It Matters

    When writing a moral and ethics essay, it is important to consider the various aspects in which good moral values play a crucial role, including social, economic, and career aspects. Additionally, one must also consider the responsibility we have for our actions and the consequences they may have on ourselves and others.

  23. Types of Moral Principles and Examples of Each

    Types. Examples. Adherence. Impact. Development. Pitfalls. Moral principles are guidelines that people live by to make sure they are doing the right thing. These include things like honesty, fairness, and equality.