Ethics, Morality and Washington...

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Unless you happen to be a philosopher, the subject of morals and ethics may seem very dry and inconsequential.

But, considering recent decisions made in Washington, the subject is actually quite interesting and useful.

Dictionary.com defines morals as coming from the Latin word mos, referring to "customs, ideas we believe about right and wrong." For instance: honesty, compassion and understanding. "Morals helps us be good people."

Ethics is defined as coming from the Greek word ethikos, meaning character, and describes "behavior that is right or wrong. Depending upon the rules of a situation "our ethics determine our action." For example, following guidelines of conduct, parents' rules or government laws are all based on ethics.

"Morals are shaped by the surrounding environment and sometimes by belief systems. These [morals] in turn shape a person's ideas about right and wrong. Morals are the basis for ethics."

Ethics, points out dictionary.com, are "much more practical. An ethical code doesn't have to be moral. It's just a set of rules for people to follow. Ethical code has nothing to do with cosmic righteousness or a set of beliefs."

And therein lies the dilemma: Ethics aren't always moral. Morals aren't always ethical.

After offering this background to consider, dictionary.com goes on to give a great example of how this plays out in real life. Take the code of "omerta" or silence, within the Mafia. As anyone who has seen any of The Godfather films knows, various characters in The Godfather live by the code of omerta. For members of the Mafia, it's quite ethical to keep silent to protect criminals from police prosecution.

One could say that the development of  Michael Corleone's character shows him moving from being morally against the Mafia's ethical standards, to finally embracing them.

The character of Tony Soprano, in The Sopranos, is often conflicted when he examines his actions using a moral lens, stepping outside of the Mafia's code of ethics.

At this point, you may be wondering: What does all of this have to do with Washington?

Within the past several months, the current administration occupying the White House has been involved in some morally dubious behavior. For instance:

- misrepresenting the findings of the Mueller Report, saying the Special Prosecution's team found no collusion,
- refusing to let former members of the administration testify before Congress regarding this report,
- the Attorney General, as head of the Justice Department, refusing to testify before Congress,
- ICE dropping off undocumented immigrants at bus stops to fend for themselves,
- separating children of undocumented immigrants from their families at the border,
- asking Mexico to do more to prevent undocumented immigrants [mostly from countries outside Mexico] from entering the US,
- the current president's well-documented record of lying. (And most recently, telling the ABC News nightly anchor that "I think I'd take it [information from foreign governments, like Russia or China, if it would help him get elected.]

All of these actions could be considered morally wrong.

But, evidently, within the culture of the current occupants of the White House's West Wing, these same actions are deemed very ethical.

And, to a certain extent, it could be argued that much of the white Evangelical fundamentalist church movement in the US is also operating in a very ethically (if not morally) dubious way. Specifically, as it continues to align itself with the current administration in the White House. As the current president and his administration veers off the moral cliff, it puts the white Evangelical fundamentalist movement in a position to continue to justify the current president's actions.

So, by default, any moral influence that the white Evangelical fundamentalist church had on society is significantly tarnished. In effect, the ability of religion to serve as a check against the baser parts of human nature is lost.

When either morals or ethics become significantly polluted, the result for a nation can be disastrous. 

A solution may come when enough of us take the time to understand the difference between morals and ethics and insist that both are grounded in and for the common good.