What Are The Difference Between Morality And Morality

Law is a set of rules and boundaries that are established by authorities which must be obeyed, otherwise, a sanction may be given. Law was described by Sir John Salmond as ‘the body of principles recognised and applied by the state in the administration of justice’. John Austin described law as ‘a body of rules fixed and enforced issued by a sovereign political authority to an inferior and enforced by coercion’.

Morals however can be seen as principles of right or wrong as a result of a person’s conscious or social view on behaviour. The word morality comes from the Latin word ‘mos’ – meaning custom, habit or usage that is defined by mans will rather than law. They are customs developed over time which may eventually become laws. Religion is arguably the largest source of morality, for example the UK’s laws on murder and theft can be traced back to the 10 commandments.

Both legal and moral rules have certain characteristics which help us identify them and to distinguish them from each other. One characteristic is their

They are both concerned with setting certain standards which are essential for governing the behaviour of individuals within society. For example traffic laws which require us to drive on the left. However it is a long established custom, that drivers give way to emergency vehicles when their lights are flashing. Legal and moral rules enjoy similar language, they distinguish right and wrong and they speak of duties, obligations and responsibilities. For example murder is regarded as wicked under both legal and moral rules.

Legal and moral rules can often bee seen to influence each other. Morality influenced the outcome in R v Brown where the law said that sadomasochistic activities are never acceptable, and the men were convicted of unlawful and malicious wounding and actual bodily harm. In R v R it was shown that morally, no man should be able to have sex with his wife without her