Right or Wrong (what’s left isn’t right)

Most education systems don't teach the difference between ethics and morality. To start with the easy one, morality is the code which structures a society; all morality is relative and related to the culture which evolves it and most morality originates with tribal hominids, or herd animals in general - the protection of the young, then females, last males.

Despite appearances, most cultures act in accordance with this order of priority; it's largely biologically determined enlightened self-interest, but much of this can be scrambled by crazy leaders and false prophets to the extent that what’s left isn’t always right.

To misquote Robert Heinlein, if you find yourself in a culture where they stone you to death if you don't wear blue clay in your navel - you put blue paint in your navel.

Ethics, on the other hand, can be equated with the functioning of the conscience; the level of development of the conscience varies markedly from person to person, but most will agree to what is ethically 'right' or 'wrong', while those of different cultures will often disagree about moral 'rights' and 'wrongs' and 'responsibilities'.

Ethics relates to your ability to empathise and place yourself in the position of another being. Compassion helps.

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