Ethical movement

The Ethical movement (also the Ethical Culture movement, Ethical Humanism, and Ethical Culture) is an ethical, educational, and religious movement established in 1877, by the academic Felix Adler (1851–1933). In effort to develop humanist codes of behavior, the Ethical movement emerged from the moral traditions of the secular societies of Europe and the secular society of the United States of the 19th century. In practice, the Ethical movement organized themselves as two types of organization: (i) a secular humanist movement and (ii) a moral movement, with a religious approach.

In the U.S., ethical movements became organizations for the advancement of education (e.g. the American Humanist Association and the American Ethical Union), whereas in the U.K., the ethical movements became the South Place Ethical Society and the British Ethical Union, organizations which consciously transcended the congregational model of organization, as the Conway Hall Ethical Society, the Humanists UK, and the Sunday Assembly.

Internationally, Ethical Culture and secular humanist organizations organized jointly; the American Ethical Union and the British Ethical Union were the founders of Humanists International, whose original name, the "International Humanist and Ethical Union", reflected the philosophical unity of the Ethical Culture movement. The premise of Ethical Culture is that honoring and living in accordance with a code of ethics is required to live a meaningful life, and for making the world a better place for all people.