Definitions: A Triumph!

[cjsmith]

I finally figured out the difference between "immoral" and "unethical".

For years people have tried to nitpick at me by saying those two words have different meanings. Looking at dictionaries hasn't helped me. Way too many definitions of "immoral" reference "ethics" and way too many definitions of "unethical" reference "morals." So I figured the nitpickers were just making shit up, as many nitpickers do. But I figured it out!

"Immoral" is a word REPUBLICANS use. "Unethical" is a word DEMOCRATS use.

Ta-daaaa!

Comments

[meep.livejournal.com]

Let me be a little more precise:

People generally use the word "unethical" when the context is business-type dealings, and "immoral" when it deals with interpersonal relationships and non-biz type things.

So cheating on your husband is immoral, and taking advantage of a company position to benefit a side business you own is unethical (like a doctor referring patients to an MRI center he partly owns, though they can get it cheaper, faster elsewhere.)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. I don't *think* I'd automatically use those words that way, but it's believable. Plus it totally explains the Democrat/Republican split! ;-)

[thorswitch.livejournal.com]

Interesting - I'd always kind of perceived the difference as being that moral issues tend to be related to the kinds of things that religious dogma tends to address, where as ethical matters tend to be more secular in origin. But looking at it as interpersonal / business seems to cover the same kind of territory in a much less emotionally charged manner than framing it as religious / secular. Thanks - that's some insight that might come in real handy during other debates :D