Definitions: (1) exhibiting or practicing the principles of morality; (2) being in accordance with the rules or standards of right conduct; (3) faithful to the standards of a profession or group; (4) showing good judgment
Derivation: Greek, “character,” “custom”
Note: The inner aspect (character) precedes its outer manifestation (custom).
Quotes:
• A man is ethical only when life, as such, is sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help. — Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) Alsatian polymath [seven disciplines]
• Ethics are possible only because of a human level of ability to speculate, judge quality, and modify our possible actions accordingly. — William H. Calvin (1939-) American theoretical neurophysiologist; A Brief History of the Mind {2004}