Ethics and morals are often regarded as synonyms, but there is some distinction in how they are used.

Ethical Behavior

Ethics are a set of standards that govern the conduct of a person, especially a member of a profession. While ethical beliefs are held by individuals, they can also be reflected in the values, practices, and policies that shape the choices made by decision makers on behalf of their organizations. Professions and organizations regularly establish a “Code of Ethics” that serves to guide the behavior of members of the profession or organization. In the medical profession, for instance, doctors take an ethical oath to “do no harm.” The American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ code states “Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public in the performance of their professional duties.”

Do you like my new hat?

We negotiate ethical dilemmas every day, though many can be resolved without a huge effort. When your friend shows up in a hideous hat and asks if you like it, you have to choose between telling the truth and hurting their feelings. Do you go for a response that avoids both lying and insulting your friend’s taste, such as “well, it’s very colorful”? Or is it more ethical to protect your friend from embarrassing themselves in public?

The most important thing is to be aware of the principles that inform your response, so that you can make the most ethical decision available. In this module, we’ll be learning about some of the key ethical principles in public communication.

Ethics is also a branch of philosophy that asks the question, what is the right thing to do?^[1] In this module, we’re concerned primarily with this philosophical understanding of ethics, because we will be considering the right and wrong—ethical and unethical—use of public communication.

Behaving ethically is not the same as following the law, since certain laws may not be ethical. Consider racist laws in the U.S. before the Civil War, or in apartheid South Africa, for examples of unethical (and immoral) laws.^[2] Nor is ethical behavior just based in the expectations of society. There are times when society’s norms or expectations will contradict one’s own ethical standards.

Moral Behavior

Morals are concerned with, or come from, an unwritten code of behavior concerning what’s right or acceptable in a particular society. Traditionally, morals have been the special province of religion and cultural groups. Moral thinking often feels intuitive or “natural” because it has to do with the way we were raised or educated.

Legal Behavior

Legal behavior follows the dictates of laws, which are written down and interpreted by the courts. In decision-making, determining the legality of a course of action is facilitated by the existence of statutes, regulations, and codes. Unlike ethical considerations, there are established penalties for behaving in a way that conflicts with the law. However, as society evolves, what constitutes legal behavior also changes. For example, until recently, the possession or use of marijuana was illegal throughout the U.S. As a result of the legislation that legalized marijuana in several states, existing laws will need to be reinterpreted, and undoubtedly additional laws will be enacted to govern what was formerly illegal behavior. Whether or not an individual thinks it is ethical to use a potentially harmful substance, the fact is that the law now allows such behavior. Following the law is not the same as behaving ethically; many questions of ethics are not covered by the law and some laws may be unethical (or unjust).