What is the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation?

• A. Morality
• B. Law
• C. Philosophy
• D. Ethics

Answer: (D)

Ethics is the organized study of what counts as good or bad conduct and of our moral duties and obligations. It asks how we ought to act, what reasons justify actions, and how to resolve conflicts between values. That makes ethics the discipline that analyzes and discusses moral principles and the justification for right or wrong actions. Morality refers to the beliefs and norms about right and wrong held by people or cultures, which ethics analyzes. Law deals with societal rules and enforcement, not the broader question of what is morally right. Philosophy is the broader field that includes ethics as a major area, but ethics specifically focuses on normative questions about duty and obligation. So the best fit for the question is ethics.