ETHICS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does ethics mean? 

• ETHICS (noun)
  The noun ETHICS has 2 senses:

1. motivation based on ideas of right and wrong

2. the philosophical study of moral values and rules

  Familiarity information: ETHICS used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ETHICS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong

Classified under:

Nouns denoting goals

Synonyms:

ethical motive; ethics; morality; morals

Hypernyms ("ethics" is a kind of...):

motivation; motive; need (the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ethics"):

hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle)

conscience; moral sense; scruples; sense of right and wrong (motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions)

Christ Within; Inner Light; Light; Light Within (a divine presence believed by Quakers to enlighten and guide the soul)

Derivation:

ethical (conforming to accepted standards of social or professional behavior)

ethical (adhering to ethical and moral principles)

ethician; ethicist (a philosopher who specializes in ethics)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The philosophical study of moral values and rules

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

ethics; moral philosophy

Hypernyms ("ethics" is a kind of...):

philosophy (the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics)

Domain member category:

egoism ((ethics) the theory that the pursuit of your own welfare in the basis of morality)

descriptivism ((ethics) a doctrine holding that moral statements have a truth value)

prescriptivism ((ethics) a doctrine holding that moral statements prescribe appropriate attitudes and behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ethics"):

bioethics (the branch of ethics that studies moral values in the biomedical sciences)

casuistry (moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas)

endaemonism; eudemonism (an ethical system that evaluates actions by reference to personal well-being through a life based on reason)

hedonism (an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good)

Derivation:

ethical (of or relating to the philosophical study of ethics)

ethician; ethicist (a philosopher who specializes in ethics)

 Context examples 

The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy.

(Ethics, NCI Thesaurus)

The field of ethics studies principles of right and wrong.

(Medical Ethics, NIH)

“It is a question, not of grammar, but of ethics,” I answered.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A branch of applied ethics which studies the value implications of practices and developments in the life sciences.

(Biomedical Ethics, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

The branch of ethics that studies moral values in the clinical sciences.

(Clinical Ethics, NCI Thesaurus)

Tell them what you think about them and their ghetto ethics.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

This committee is a part of an international organization that promotes the norms, values, standards, and ethics of the sciences of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

(Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, NCI Thesaurus)

The field of study concerned with the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge and ethics.

(Philosophy, NCI Thesaurus)

EXAMPLE(S): Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK; Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA; World Health Organization (WHO); Institutional Review Board (IRB); Ethics committee; Research ethics board.

(Oversight Authority, NCI Thesaurus/BRIDG)

This committee performs critical oversight functions for research conducted on human study subjects that are scientific, ethical, and regulatory.Institutional Review Board (IRB), ethics committee, research ethics board, etc.

(Oversight Committee, NCI Thesaurus)