read dr christopher dicarlo on the subject [ out of guelph ontario]

ethics are the rules set out in order to propagate the species . that's it that's all

I'm not sure of my total view here but I'm going to call ethics acting in someone else's best interest even when it goes against your own.

Ethics is one of 5 branches of any complete world view or philosophy (metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics).

In regards to honesty, yes, we should be honest all the time because dishonesty is incongruent with reality. However, given the standard of any value is life, we should be honest unless a possible consequence of that honesty may be a threat to our life.

But like you said, no one does that. Lol. We live in a society (in the USA at least) where it is seemingly worse to hurt someone's feelings than it is to be honest with them...

Ethical relativism seems to be a stance held by some people as it implies evolution of moral principles that are in line with developments in the world. As such it stands in sharp contrast to moral codes which were instituted by high priests two or more thousand years ago. I think that most people have an innate sense of what is right and what is wrong.

Ethics and morals keep getting confused, but the best way I have found is to treat others as you would want to be treated. I know some people have no empathy, but those who can think what it would be like to be the other person in any interaction, they should automatically behave morally. I think most of us by the age of three can tell right from wrong, but we also learn how to justify wrong, and personal profit, and skirt ethical behaviour.

I try to do the right thing, the thing that needs to be done and hopefully I won't gain anything material by doing it. Our culture and personal ethics come into play, I believe, so the 'right thing' may not be the same worldwide, or it may be one of those universal truths. I don't know nor know how to find out short of doing my own sampling and applying the scientific method along with critical thinking.
Any ideas? I don't mean to highjack your thread OP.

I have my own morals and to date, I've never broken them.

You have some of the best questions.
Ethics to me would be doing the best thing for all that are concerned. That could mean doing something ethical in one situation could be unethical in another. Being honest is sometimes the worst solution, if I knew someone meant someone harm being dishonest may keep away harm. Could you kill one man to save one child? How about to save a thousand children?