Is there a clear difference between right and wrong? Well, it all depends on what one has been trained to believe. When answering this question one must include many factors, such as religious morals and values, environmental influences, society, and etc. One might believe that stealing to provide for their family is okay, but another knows that you do not steal, no matter what the circumstances may be because it is wrong. As with the given example, what one person may think is wrong, may be right to another person. Right and wrong are human values. We have to determine for ourselves what we believe to be right or wrong. Today we make our decisions according to what society believes is right or wrong and what we are taught. Society believes lying can be wrong in most situations, but not in all situations. The truth of the matter is, is that a lie is a lie. One can argue that some lies are bigger than others, but a lie is a lie, no matter how “big” or “small” one may think it is. We are taught this from our parents, school, society, and from our own common sense. If a child lies to their parents and isn’t punished, then the child will repeat their actions not knowing that what they are doing is wrong. It is easier for people to accept the wrong doing of child because they are young and have not yet experienced situations where they must choose what is right or wrong for themselves.
It’s not so much about what is right it wrong, it’s more so about morals and ethics. Morals define personal character or the ability to choose between right and wrong, while ethics are a social arrangement where those morals should be applied. Ethics are the rules of behavior expected by a certain group of people. This could be national ethics, social ethics, company ethics, professional ethics, or family ethics. In society, we all have some kind of conflicts with ethics and morals. For example, abortion is legal and medically