Morals are the principles on which one’s judgments of right and wrong are based. Ethics are principles of right conduct. So the two nouns are closely related and are often interchangeable. The main difference is that morals are more abstract, subjective, and often personal or religion-based, while ethics are more practical, conceived as unassailable principles promoting fairness in social and business interactions. For example, a politician’s sex scandal may involve a lapse in morals (a subjective judgment), while a politician taking bribes involves a lapse in ethics.
Plus, ethics (as a singular noun) is also a field of philosophical study. There aren’t many college courses on morals, but classes in ethics are required for many degrees, especially in law, business, and medicine.
The difference between ethics and morals is often formulated this way: Ethics are the science of morals, and morals are the practice of ethics. But that’s a little too neat and doesn’t cover all the ways in which the words are used.
Examples
In practical usage, the word morals usually applies to principles of right and wrong in personal behavior—for example:
Many voters, including some who do not share the Salafis’ puritanical morals, say they trust the sheiks to understand their perspectives for tangible reasons. [New York Times]
Their morals are debased by the obscene and blasphemous Lady Gaga, and the violent culture promulgated by gangsta rap. [Financial Times]
And ethics usually applies to professional and business practices—for example:
Prince George’s County should strengthen its ethics regulations and get tough on government officials who try to make backroom deals … [Washington Post]
The Supreme Court upheld ethics laws across the nation that forbid legislators and city council members from voting on matters in which they have a conflict of interest … [Los Angeles Times]
Morals often appears where ethics would make more sense, much more often than the other way around—for example:
And for executives without morals, it is easy to siphon off the money in a variety of ways. [Knowledge @ Wharton]
