Many of the commonly confused concepts below are confused because of the way they are used colloquially. Understanding the differences will help you decode the meaning behind what you read and hear.
Jealousy and Envy
- Jealousy is a feeling triggered by a perceived threat to something you have by an outside party
- Envy is the desire to deprive someone of something that they have
See: Envy and Jealousy
Anger and Rage
- Anger is the emotion that comes from frustration
- Rage is emotion that is triggered by a threat to one’s identity
Guilt and Shame
- Guilt is feeling bad for having done something, comes from within
- Shame is an emotion related to your perception of how others view you or the group you are a part of
Sympathy and Empathy
- Sympathy is feeling bad for someone else
- Empathy is feeling what the other person is feeling
Courage and Bravery
- Courage is the ability to do something that frightens you
- Bravery is courage in the face of the possibility of bodily harm
Intelligence and Wisdom
- Intelligence is knowing how to get what you want
- Wisdom is knowing what to want
Ethics and Morals
- Ethics dictates what people should do (normative)
- Morals describes what is good or bad, right or wrong (descriptive)
Morality, Ethicality, Legality and Ability
- Morality is one’s subjective sense of right and wrong
- Ethicality is a description whether or not something should be done
- Legality outlines what is and isn’t allowed
- Ability is what you can and can’t do
Proxy-Target Relationships
Proxy listed first, target listed second. Proxies here serve as more concrete or measurable representations of their targets.
Price and Value
- Price is what someone is willing to accept in exchange for a good or service
- Value is subjective importance one places on something
Legality and Morality
- Legality outlines what you are and aren’t allowed to do
- Morality describes what is right or wrong
