Final answer:
Ethics refers to the standards and principles governing proper conduct. It includes the study of norms such as mores, which are upheld by both formal and informal sanctions. Normative ethics provides approaches for guiding behavior based on consequences, duty, or character.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ethics are moral standards of conduct and rules or principles that govern proper conduct. Ethics is a discipline created to establish principles of the good and those of right behavior. It deals with the basic principles that serve as the basis for moral rules. Given that different principles produce different rules, the concept of ethics is fundamental in determining the moral fiber of an individual or society.
Furthermore, norms in society including laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, and cultural rules are all part of what establishes our guidelines for social interaction and behavior. Norms can be classified as either mores or folkways. Mores embody the moral views of a group and are often backed by formal and informal sanctions.
Finally, normative ethics aims to establish norms and standards of moral conduct, which can guide our behavior effectively. This subfield of ethics is characterized by three main approaches – consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethics – which use different criteria to determine moral conduct.