Ethics, Morality, and Justice as Relational Phenomena: An Operational and Falsifiable Framework

This paper presents a comprehensive, operational, and falsifiable framework for understanding ethics, morality, and justice as relational phenomena rather than absolute values. By decomposing traditionally conflated concepts into three operationally distinct categories—good/evil as natural relations between phenomena and living beings, right/wrong as normative constructions within rule systems, and just/unjust as systemic coherence within codes—the framework provides precise, testable definitions where traditional ethical discourse has relied on vague and overlapping terms. The framework introduces three independent analytical tools: Grounding Analysis, which traces normative claims to their foundation and distinguishes constructed claims (right/wrong) from natural relations (good/evil); the Three-Level Model, which structures any normative system into declared goal, concrete materialization, and observable consequences; and the Coherence Test, which evaluates whether a system's materialization and consequences align with its declared goal, independent of whether that goal is shared or endorsed. Each category and tool is specified with clear measurement criteria, falsification conditions, and empirical testability. By grounding norms in observable social relations rather than metaphysical foundations, the framework provides analytical tools for evaluating political and normative systems, detecting internal inconsistencies, and understanding social conflicts. The framework is descriptive rather than normative, empirically testable, and applicable across diverse cultural and political contexts.