ETHICAL JUDGMENT: CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

The ethical judgment consists of making the most appropriate decision in the face of a dilemma in which the one that is most in line with morals and ethics must be chosen. It is an individual decision, although it is related to the moral values ​​of society.

To decide properly, the person must use reason and choose which is the best option, based on his knowledge about what is right or wrong.

Although it is a tool that humans have used since their appearance on the planet, the use of the concept dates back only to the 18th century. However, Ethics has been studied since the time of ancient Greece.

It is convenient not to confuse this type of judgment with the moral one because, although they share similarities, they have different features. The main one is that, while in the ethical judgment it uses reasoning to make the decision, the moral makes evaluations about the actions or behaviors.

How did you emerge from the concept of ethical judgment?

The term "ethics" has many centuries of history. It comes from the Greek word "ethos", which means custom. Ethics - as part of philosophy - studies good and evil, and their relationship with the human being.

Another meaning attributed to it is the total of customs and norms in human behavior.

As for the concept of ethical judgment, it is much more recent. It began to be used in the 18th century as a way to solve interpersonal or social problems.

Definition

Ethical judgment is defined as the reasoning necessary to be able to choose the most convenient action or attitude among those that arise in a given situation.

This decision must be based on social norms, or on the set of values ​​that society considers correct. In this way, this type of judgment seeks to help solve any ethical dilemma that appears.

Thanks to him, the different options available are analyzed and the one that best suits the situation is taken, without breaking moral norms, whether social or personal.

characteristics

Some of the main characteristics of ethical judgment are the following:

-To do this, some abstract moral principles are taken into account.

-It is not partial when judging the rights of others, but they are respected.

-The individual is placed first in front of social relations.

-It is only a way to achieve a fair result, without prejudging the results.

-The important thing is the procedure used.

-All human beings use it throughout their lives, even if the end result is harmful to themselves.

-It is about using a concept of universal justice when making decisions.

Examples of ethical judgment

In practically every important decision that a person makes during his life, he uses this type of judgment. Training the individual to be able to do them is one of the bases of education.

In general terms, it can be pointed out that when it is decided not to commit a criminal act, it is a great example of these trials.

It is not a choice due to fear of punishment, but because it contravenes the moral codes accepted by society. The consequences for the social group and for loved ones are taken into account.

Concrete examples

1- A politician who has been caught lying about something person loses his credibility and ceases to be trusted in his public activities.

2- When seeing one person treat another person badly, everyone ends up judging him and thinking that his action is not correct.

3- Those who mistreat animals receive a severe judgment by those who have knowledge of it. This abuser is often classified as a cruel person. His performance is even extrapolated thinking that he can also harm humans.

4- The one who copies in an exam stops having the confidence of his teachers. He also gets the blame from peers who have tried so hard.

5- Harassment at school supposes, apart from the criminal consequences, a severe ethical judgment on the part of the whole society.

Similarities and differences with morals

Morals is a field that has been studied since the times of classical Greece.

Although there have been different definitions throughout the centuries, today it is considered as the set of rules that human beings who live in society must follow in order to maintain harmony and good coexistence.

Despite the fact that there may be people outside this common morality, the vast majority are immersed in the codes it dictates.

Similarities

In both ethical and moral judgment, there are a series of rules or perceptions about how the behaviors of each should be.

When speaking of morality, norms have been transmitted by the culture of society, with a teaching that goes from generation to generation. Ethics is how the individual has adapted morality to his own way of being and thinking.

Differences

One of the main differences between the concepts of morals and ethics is the scope of development. While the first may vary depending on society and culture, ethics is much more personal, even if it comes from morality itself.

Thus, ethics needs a greater individual intervention, since it is the individual who must internalize it and use it in their judgments. In this way, it can be affirmed that ethics is born from individual thought, from conscience, from each person.

As mentioned, morality is external, social and has a greater burden of obligation if you want to maintain a good coexistence in the community in which you live.

For precisely this reason, moral obligations are much more coercive.

In certain societies, for example, a pregnant single woman is going to be judged very harshly by community morals. Although it does not have criminal punishment, it can mean that the expectant mother is socially withdrawn and despised.

Meanwhile, it is the intellect and rationality that count most in the personal ethical sense. Although it is influenced by social morality, the individual must adapt it to their thoughts and beliefs.

In the above case of the single mother, someone may ethically judge that the attitude of despising her and giving her shelter and help is wrong, even if it contravenes general morality.

Differences between ethical judgment and moral judgment

Given the above explanation, the differences between ethical judgment and moral judgment are easily deductible. In the first, reason fundamentally comes into play.

It is the individual who must rationally consider the consequences of actions. All this process is done according to the rules of society, but there is also room for its own rules.

In the case of moral judgment, individual options are more limited. It is simply a matter of assessing whether the action is positive or negative.

To do this, it takes into account the set of rules that society has defined as correct or incorrect. It can be said that it is much more strict than the ethical one.

References

1. Meanings. What is ethical judgment. Recovered from meanings.com.
2. ITESCAM. The moral judgment and the ethical judgment. Recovered from resources.salonesvirtuales.com.
3. Theoretical framework. The moral judgment and the ethical judgment. Recovered from marcoteorico.com.
4. Psychology dictionary. Ethical Judgment. Recovered from psychologydictionary.org.
5. Baiada-Hireche, Loréa; Garreau, Lionel. Exploring the dynamics of ethical judgment: The Sensemaking-Based Evolution Model. Recovered from strategie-aims.com.
6. Leibniz Universität Hannover. Ethical Judgment. Recovered from didageo.uni-hannover.de.
7. BBC. Ethics: a general introduction. Retrieved from bbc.co.uk
8. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. A Framework for Ethical Decision Making. Recovered from scu.edu.