Duty

Definition

Duty refers to the moral or legal obligation to perform an action or behave in a certain way, regardless of personal desires or consequences. It is a central concept in deontological ethics, which judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules, rather than the action's consequences.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Duty is the foundation of deontological ethics, which focuses on the inherent rightness or wrongness of an action rather than its consequences.
2. Kant's Categorical Imperative states that an action is only moral if it could be willed as a universal law of nature, emphasizing the importance of duty over outcomes.
3. Duties can be legal, moral, or social in nature, and they may conflict with personal desires or interests.
4. Deontological ethics holds that certain actions are inherently right or wrong, and that we have a duty to perform the right actions regardless of the consequences.
5. Moral absolutes, such as honesty, promise-keeping, and respect for human life, are considered inviolable duties in deontological ethics.

Review Questions

• Explain how the concept of duty is central to deontological ethics.
  • In deontological ethics, the concept of duty is paramount. Deontologists believe that the morality of an action is determined by its adherence to moral rules or principles, rather than by its consequences. The duty to follow these moral rules, regardless of the outcomes, is the defining feature of deontological ethics. Kant's Categorical Imperative, which states that an action is only moral if it could be willed as a universal law, exemplifies this emphasis on duty over consequences.
• Analyze how the notion of moral absolutes relates to the idea of duty in deontological ethics.
  • Deontological ethics holds that there are certain moral absolutes, or inviolable ethical principles, that we have a duty to uphold. These moral absolutes, such as honesty, promise-keeping, and respect for human life, are considered universally binding regardless of the consequences. The duty to adhere to these moral absolutes is central to deontological thinking, as it means that we must perform the right actions simply because they are right, not because of their outcomes. This emphasis on duty over consequences is a defining feature of deontological ethics and its reliance on moral absolutes.
• Evaluate how conflicts between personal desires and moral duties are resolved within the deontological framework.
  • Deontological ethics places a strong emphasis on moral duty, even when it conflicts with personal desires or interests. The deontological view is that we have a moral obligation to perform the right actions, as determined by ethical rules or principles, regardless of the consequences or our own preferences. This means that in situations where our personal wants or needs clash with our moral duties, deontologists believe we must prioritize our duties. The resolution of such conflicts is found in the deontological commitment to moral absolutes and the inherent rightness or wrongness of actions, rather than in weighing outcomes. Deontologists argue that true morality requires us to fulfill our duties even when it is difficult or goes against our individual desires.

Related terms

Deontology: An ethical theory that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules, rather than the action's consequences.

Categorical Imperative: Kant's principle that an action is only moral if it could be willed as a universal law of nature.

Moral Absolutes: Ethical principles or rules that are considered universally and unconditionally binding, regardless of the consequences.