DUTY ETHICS

Contends that certain acts (or duties) should be performed because they are inherently ethical such as:

•  be honest,

•  keep promises,

•  do not inflict sufferings on other people,

•  be fair,

•  make reparation when you have been unfair,

• How gratitude for kindness extended by others

•  seek to improve own intelligence and character,

• develop one’s talents,

•  don’t commit suicide.

        •  Duties, rather than good consequences, is fundamental.

        • Individuals who recognize their ethical duties will choose ethically correct moral actions

These duties should meet Kant’s 3 conditions i.e.

1.  It should express respect for persons,

• People deserve respect because they have capacity to be autonomous and for exercising goodwill.

• Goodwill is the conscientious and honest effort to do what is right according to universal principles of duties.

• Moral motives and intentions play a prominent role in duty ethics rather than utilitarianism.

2. It is a universal principle

•    Duties are binding on us only if they are applicable to everyone. They must be universalisable.

3. It expresses command  for autonomous  moral agents. Duties prescribe certain actions categorically, without qualifications or conditions attached. Valid principles of duties are Categorical Imperatives. They contrast with non-moral commands called Hypothetical Imperatives which are conditional.

The above       ▬►     ‘RESPECT for PERSONS’

Drawback of Kant’s duty ethics: It has failed to be sensitive to how principles of duty can conflict with each other thereby creating Moral dilemmas.