Traditionally, a significant part of philosophy has been the quest to understand right and wrong, or if there even are such things. What is right and wrong is best understand using the terms ethics.

Questions of ethics are many, but often are developed from a few core ideas or principles. For instance, is it okay to murder? Is it right for an individual to defend him or herself even if that means taking another life? Does the individual own his or her self? Applying the answers to those questions is applied ethics. Topic pages in this section explore what is right and wrong, and then how those ideas have or have not been applied to government and law.