ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Formal ethics

Formal ethics is like having rules to make the right choices. Do you remember your parents telling you to follow the rules so you won't get in trouble? Just like following rules at home or in school, formal ethics is like having rules that people follow to make good decisions especially for very important things or situations. These set of rules are often created and agreed upon by experts, scholars, and professionals in a certain field or area of study. These rules or guidelines are created to help us understand what is right, fair, and moral in a certain situation or context.

For example, in the medical field, formal ethics helps medical professionals to make the right decision when they face a difficult situation such as how to treat a patient who has a life-threatening medical condition. They can refer to their code of ethics which is a set of guidelines that help them make the best decisions for their patients. This helps the medical professional to make informed and morally sound decisions.

Similarly, formal ethics is important in many areas like business, law, journalism, and many others. It helps people to make better decisions and to do the right thing, even when it's hard. So, formal ethics is like having a set of rules or guidelines that helps people make the right choices and do the right thing in many areas of life.