What is the Relationship between Ethics and Sociology?

Ethics and sociology have a close relation. Ethics is the science which discusses the good or bad of
human conduct and conduct is not possible without society which is studied by sociology.

There being relation between the individual and society, ethics and sociology become related. Man
cannot even be imagined outside society. He acquires his thoughts of good and bad, duty or non-duty,
virtue, vice and convention from society.

Thus, the mental and ethical development of the individual depends very much upon society.

Hays writes that man does not do good acts because God wants such acts or that they are essential for
living in society but rather because society accepts them as good and the ethical thoughts related to
such conduct are inherent in social institutions.

Corne Jo maintains that what is good is decided by mass experience. Anybody is good in comparison
with others. Therefore, goodness is a social attention.

On the other hand the evolution of society is dependent on the ethics of the people because, ultimately,
society is only a web of relationships among the people. Great men have affected many improvements
in society.

Thus, the relation between man and society is very intimate. Due to this reason again, ethics and
sociology are inter-related. Ethics is concerned with ethical ideal, the right and wrong of actions, the
development of conduct and the character of the individual.

Sociology is the study of the nature of human society, its origin and development. It makes a study of
the development and convention’s of the different groups.

In the words of T. Abel, Sociology is the scientific study of the social relationship, their variety, their
forms, whatever affects them and whatever they affect.

Ethics is dependent upon Sociology:

Ethics is dependent upon sociology for the description of ultimate good in relation with society.

Ethics is concerned with the conduct of the individual. Social science studies the social habits,
conventions and those institutions which impress man. Thus ethics depends upon sociology.

On the other hand, sociology also depends upon ethics. It studies the habits, conventions and
institutions of groups and communities but leaves their evolution to ethics.

Ethics and Sociology are mutually complementary:

In fact ethics and sociology are mutually complementary sciences. Ethics presents those ideals in the
light of which social facts are evaluated. Sociology studies ethical ideals in the form of facts and
describes the conditions of society is to be understood.

In the words of Mac Iver, “Society without values cannot be understood.” In this way sociology seeks the
help of ethics. But sociology also helps ethics because the values studied by ethics ‘are determined very
much by the prevalent thought in the society and these forms the subject matter of sociology.

The differences between ethics and sociology are the following:

1. Normative science study ideals and positive sciences study facts. Sociology gives factual knowledge of
social relations while eithics ideals. It decides the good and bad in social conventions, habits, traditions,
etc. In this way, sociology and ethics are related to each other but their scopes do not coincide.

2. Sociology is a comparatively theoretical study while ethics very much affects our practical life. It tries
to seek the ultimate good and in its light makes judgements concerning virtues, duties, good and bad in
social institutions, conventions, authority and economic and political laws, etc. In the form of the
science of ethical ideals it is also related to philosophy.

3. Sociology studies man as a member of sociology. Ethics studies man as a responsible individual having
freedom of will.

4. Sociology is an objective science whereas ethics is a normative science. Sociology studies objective
processes and convention, laws, organization, etc. The subject of ethics is internal motive, desires,
violation and man's conduct in the context of intentions.

5. The method of sociology is historical, scientific and empirical. The method of ethics is teleological. It is
scientific, as well as philosophical, empirical as well as transcendental. It is descriptive and critical.
Sociology like other positive sciences looks into a cause effect relation in the facts. Ethics gives them
their places in the world and comparing them to the ultimate good, describe ethical facts. Sociology
studies the external behaviour of man, while ethics emphasises the internal aspect. Thus, ethics cannot
be said to be a branch of sociology.