understanding of ethics

The term ethics comes from the ancient Greek language. Singular form of the word 'ethics' which is plural ethos while ta Ethan. Ethos has many meanings, namely: the usual residence, grasslands, cage, habits / customs, morals, character, feelings, attitudes, ways of thinking. Meanwhile, Ethan is the meaning ta customs.The meaning of this plural-background melatar formation of the Ethics Aristotle term used to indicate moral philosophy. So, in etymology (the origin of the word), ethics has a meaning that is common knowledge about what does or knowledge of customs (K. Bertens, 2000).Usually when we have difficulty understanding the meaning of a word, we will search for the meaning of the word in the dictionary. But it was not all dictionaries include the meaning of a word is complete. It can be seen from the comparison made by K. Bertens on the meaning of the word 'ethics' found in Indonesian Dictionary of the old with the new Indonesian Dictionary. In the old Indonesian Dictionary (Poerwadarminta, since 1953 - to quote from Bertens, 2000), ethics has the meaning as: "the science of the principles of morality (moral)". While the word 'ethics' in the Great Dictionary of Indonesian Language only (Ministry of Education and Culture, 1988 - quoted from Bertens 2000), have the meanings:1. knowledge about what is good and what is bad and about right and moral obligation (moral);2. set of principles or values relating to morality;3. values of right and wrong adopted by a group or society.Comparison of the two dictionaries can be seen that in the old Indonesian Dictionary has only one meaning, ie ethics as a science. Meanwhile, the new Indonesian Dictionary contains several meanings. If we for example are read a sentence in a newspaper story "In the world of business ethics slump continues" then the word 'ethics' here when it comes to the meaning contained in the old Dictionary of Indonesian Language is not suitable because the intent of the word 'ethics' in the sentence is not ethics as a science but 'right and wrong about the value adopted for a group or society'. So does the word 'ethics' in the old Dictionary of Indonesian Language is not complete.K. Bertens argues that the meaning of the word 'ethics' in the Big Indonesian Dictionary can be more refined and better arrangement or the order is reversed, because the meaning of the word to-3 more fundamental than the sense of the word to-1. So the meaning and structure to be as follows:1. values and moral norms which become the handle for a person or group in regulating behavior.For example, if people talk about the ethics of the Javanese, Buddhist ethics, the Protestant ethic and so forth, then what is meant here is not ethics ethics as a science but as an ethical value system. This value system bisaberfungsi in individual human lives and on social level.2. set of principles or moral values.What is meant here is the code of ethics. Example: Code of Journalistic Ethics3. knowledge about good or bad.New ethics into a science when the possibilities of ethical (the principles and values on which is considered good and bad) who just accepted in a society and are often unwittingly the subject of reflection for a systematic and methodical research. Ethics here is tantamount to moral philosophy.