moral principle
Right and wrong
A moral principle is a fundamental belief about right and wrong that guides behavior and judgment.
Moral principles function as standards people use to evaluate actions—their own and others': She refused to lie on principle.
Unlike rules, which are specific, principles are broad enough to apply across situations: honesty, fairness, do no harm.
A person of principle acts according to these standards even when inconvenient.
- utilitarianismGreatest-happiness moral theory
- greater goodCollective benefit over personal
- common goodBenefit shared by all
- honestyTruthfulness, sincerity
- do the right thingBehave with moral integrity
whistleblowing · fairness · deontology · autonomy · integrity · categorical imperative · duty · ethical dilemma · slippery slope · equality · golden rule · justice · altruism · conscience · accountability · compassion · rights · tolerance
- principlesethics, tenet, axiom, values, precept
- ethicsdeontology, dignity, sanctity of life, utilitarianism, consequentialism
moral principleimmorality
Quality of being wicked
amorality · expediency · self-interest · pragmatism · realpolitik
moral principleopportunism
Exploiting circumstances for gain
expedience · convenience · whim · impulse · caprice
moral principlemoral bankruptcy
Utter lack of principles
unscrupulousness · venality · baseness · turpitude · hypocrisy
moral, morals, morality, moralism, moralist, moralistic, morally, amoral, immoral