# Defining Morality

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defining-morality/564859>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 20, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defining-morality/564859 "2010-12-20T18:50:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Dunkelheit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dunkelheit/32/248_2.png) [@Dunkelheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunkelheit)\
**Post date:** [January 1, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defining-morality/564859/41 "2011-01-01T01:35:52Z")

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> [@Blaster\_Master](#):
>
> I think there’s often a significant overlap between ethics and morals, but they’re definitely different things. They may often be used as synonyms, but IME, at least conotatively, they’ve always determined the correct action with different criteria.

Theodore Sturgeon put it that morals are society’s code for the survival of the individual, while ethics are the individual’s code for survival of society.

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