Ethics is the study of right and wrong, and the principles people use to decide how they should act. When you face a choice about whether to do something, ethics helps you think through what's fair, honest, and respectful to others.

For example, if you find a wallet full of money, ethics involves asking yourself: Should I keep it or try to return it to its owner? If your friend wants to copy your homework, ethics means considering whether helping them cheat is actually helping them at all. When a scientist runs experiments, ethics guides decisions about how to treat research subjects safely and fairly.

Ethics goes beyond just following rules. Rules tell you what you must do; ethics helps you think about what you should do, even when no one's watching. Different people and cultures sometimes have different ethical beliefs, but many ethical principles appear across societies: honesty, fairness, kindness, and respect.

The word ethical describes actions that follow good moral principles. An ethical decision is one you can feel proud of because it respects what's right. When doctors promise to “do no harm,” when journalists commit to reporting truthfully, or when you choose to include someone who's being left out, you're making ethical choices.