What is ethics?

• A. A firm adherence to a code of moral values.
• B. This means being concerned about or relating to what is right and wrong in human behavior.
• C. Principles of conduct governing an individual or group, including rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad.
• D. Right to choose what should be done in a particular situation.

Answer: (C)

Ethics involves the principles of conduct that guide how individuals or groups should act, including the rules of behavior that flow from ideas about what is morally good and bad. This description best captures ethics because it ties together the normative norms (how people ought to behave) with the moral judgments that justify those norms. It covers both the governance of conduct and the moral basis behind those standards, giving a complete picture of what ethics examines and applies. The other statements describe related ideas—one emphasizes strict adherence to a code, another simply notes concerns about right and wrong, and the last focuses on making a choice in a situation—without conveying the full sense of guided conduct grounded in moral principles.