What is Duty? Obligations That Define Us

The word Duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; or debere, debitum, meaning debt) means a commitment, an obligation to act on or stand by a certain principle expected of us by ourselves or others, if and when certain circumstances arise.

Many duties are created by the laws we have, with codified punishment for non-performance, such as stopping your car at a red traffic light; we also take on certain obligations in our jobs, for example, delivering packages for UPS for a wage. These duties and obligations are fairly well defined for us. Less well defined are the moral and ethical duties we expect of ourselves and expected of us by co-workers, friends and family.

And these moral duties sometimes clash with our other duties in life. Our duties indicate who we are and how other people see us. How principled we are and how true we are to who we think or say we are depend on how we act on our duties.

Why do we have a moral sense of duty? Do our duties give us meaning in our lives? Where does our moral sense of duty come from? Should one’s moral duty supersede duty to one’s job or the law? Do you prefer your moral duty to be categorical, consequential or utilitarian? What is Duty to you?