Why this word is great
PRINCIPLISM — [Noun] A system of ethics based on the four moral principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. From principle (from Old French principe, from Latin principium, "beginning, foundation") + -ism (suffix forming nouns denoting a system or ideology). Unlike utilitarianism (which sacrifices the individual for the greater good) or virtue ethics (which seeks moral excellence through character), principlism is a compass rather than a destination. It is the doctor respecting a patient’s refusal of treatment, the policymaker weighing equity against efficiency, the researcher pausing an experiment for unforeseen harm—each decision a careful negotiation between competing truths. In a world of grayscale dilemmas, principlism insists on the dignity of the question.