Originally Posted by
Kasierith
I wouldn't say that every society defines ethics necessarily.... every person is, at a starting point, an act utilitarian. Left to their own devices every person will naturally pursue pleasure while avoiding pain and therefore expand on self interest. Ethics come around when societies attempt to form a different system, collective good, and therefore must shift the focus of the society away from self and onto others, something necessary for civilization to advance. I would say that every society defines morality in some way or another, even if its at the most base level.... but morality and ethics while going hand in hand in most cases aren't necessarily the same