" ethics "

 [ "ethics" ]

1: Morality with loopholes.

  * e.g.,  ... Everyone agreed that the Congressman's conduct was morally repugnant and his excuses were intellectually dishonest, but the facts did not support an ethics violation. 

 [ "ethics" ]

1: The best way to ensure that your business endeavors will never turn a profit.

  * e.g.,  ... The company stressed ethics over growth, so the government refused to bail them out. 

 [ "ethics" ]

1: A philosophical area of investigation where the same people who argue that there is no reason to believe in god seem to think that there is a set of universally binding principles that define just actions from unjust actions.

  * e.g.,  ... Professor: Utilitarianism is a great ethical theory. 

 [ "ethics" ]

1: Plural of ethic.

  * e.g.,  ... That criminal has a really bad sense of ethics. 

 [ "ethics" ]

2: The sum of a set of moral beliefs.

 [ "ethics" ]

3: etiquette; morality; values

 [ "ethically" ]

1: doing something in an ethical way. doing something in a way that does not bring harm to others. Not lying, cheating, stealing, hurting, defrauding, tricking, or putting down others. People who have good character usually are ethical.

  * e.g.,  ... AT THE STRIP CLUB 

 [ "ethic" ]

1: The knowing of the difference between right and wrong. A set of moral principles.

  * e.g.,  ... bosses, lawyers, and politicians have no knowledge of ethics. Or they just don't give a fuck. 

 [ "ethical" ]

1: A word that some companies use to describe themselves as a PR stunt whilst actually being just as evil as all the other big profit-hunting corporations.

  * e.g.,  ... The bank boasted about its ethical policy whilst actually treated its employees and customers like dirt 

 [ "Ethics" ]

1: The adorable belief that our actions ultimately matter.

  * e.g.,  ... It's absolutely essential that you (insert action) and you must always avoid (insert action), because if you violate these ethics (insert an ultimately meaningless outcome). 

 [ "Ethical" ]

1: The most popular word in a hippie's vocabulary.

  * e.g.,  ... I believe in an ethical lifestyle, in helping people less fortunate than I and giving them a chance at life. Oops, I'm pregnant. Abortion time! 

 [ "ethic" ]

1: Not running off with your ex's best friend

  * e.g.,  ... If you post naked pictures of yourself on the internet, you have no ethics