Moral v. Ethical

feat. guest blogger : vulcan.x

So I find myself in Europe once again, taking some time off from all the shit that’s been happening around me.

Anyhoo, it’s been exactly one year since I last filled in for gapnap! My career, plus a couple of personal issues, have not allowed me to be as active in the used-musical-instrument-market as I once was. I think some Jamtankers/Music Master regulars might have noticed

the swiss alps look particularly bleak this evening…

Speaking of career, these are the things I do for work (in no particular order of pay or importance):
1) My day job – 9am to 6pm – I’m an engineer for a building materials company
2) Being gapnap’s business partner at Music Master
3) Helping my parents manage some of the infrastructure at their company

In the course of being overworked working, I have met several interesting characters who have given me the inspiration for today’s topic – MORAL versus ETHICAL.

From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, both words seem to be interlinked, with Moral defined as

“of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior”

…and Ethics being defined as

“the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation”

Doesn’t sound too complicated eh? You guys still with me?

The way I understand it is similar to this:

“In this sort of usage, the ethical needn’t be the factual. It might be unethical (that is, a breach of a particular code) for doctors to sleep with their patients; but it’s possible that there are circumstances where no one would call it immoral.”

It’s morally correct to pick up after your doggie.

Let’s look at some examples below to further illustrate the differences between Moral and Ethical:

1) John is driving on the highway, minding his own business. Somebody overtakes him. He gets angry, spews some vulgarities, winds his window down and flips the bird. Moral or ethical issue?

My opinion: Quite obviously MORAL, for the behaviour he has exhibited.

2) John actually works for a trading company. He has just shaken hands on a deal which would yield his company a profit of RM20,000. A few hours later, a third party calls him up and offers him RM3,000 to hijack the deal (his company would still make the same profit of RM20,000). John agrees, and deals with the third party instead. Moral or ethical issue?

My opinion: Definitely ETHICAL, for 2 reasons. Firstly, if John was a man of principle, he would have refused the bribe. Secondly, his company would have had some regulations pertaining to situations such as the one above; to break those regulations would have constituted a breach of trust, which is an ethical matter.

3) John is feeling quite randy at work. He calls his secretary into his office. They get it on on top of his desk. Moral or ethical issue?

My opinion: Both MORAL and ETHICAL.

MORAL: In the Asian culture, we are taught the importance of dignity, self-respect and being conservative (for most of my generation and the ones preceding me anyway). People who indulge in these activities are deemed to have loose morals. Having said all that, nobody seems to be too bothered in this modern day and age. I don’t judge either.

ETHICAL: Company regulations. And do you really want to shit where you eat…?

Everybody has issues, nobody is perfect. But one has to draw a line somewhere.

When I look for a potential business partner, or when I want to hire a worker, I can accept people with MORAL issues. But I cannot tolerate people with ETHICAL issues. Why?

1) I find it easier to TRUST somebody with MORAL issues than somebody with ETHICAL issues.
2) My observation has been that people with MORAL issues are easier to change compared to people with ETHICAL issues.

I used to deal with this person who was lazy as hell and had questionable hygiene. I lent him my car one day and I found a used condom in the back seat the next morning. He didn’t do a whole lot of work, but I knew he would never fuck me over. I was comfortable leaving my valuable possessions with him knowing that they would be safe.

On the other hand, I currently work with this other guy who is very productive and good at what he does. He always gets the job done but he has a serious problem with his ethics – I caught him doing something akin to example #2 more than once. Like the proverbial snake in the grass, you’ll never know when he’ll spring up and bite your arse. Nowadays I make sure to never leave my laptop lying anywhere near him.

European version of gapnap’s car! No condoms in the back seat. I checked.

On a personal level, I have been faced with example #2 before. I’m proud to say I didn’t do it. I do reiterate the importance of practicing good ethics to my coworkers at Music Master as well – all it takes is just one small fuck up for the vultures to start circling.

Before I sign off, I’d like to acknowledge that I may not be the most qualified person to preach morals and ethics, but I figured it would be fun to share some of my thoughts. I’m nowhere near as entertaining as gap when it comes to being (pseudo) philosophical, so you’ll be glad to know he’ll be back to write for you soon

Oink!

Feel free to use the “comments” button below. vulcan.x out.

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