Discussion – Perfect Duties to Others in Society

Discussion – Perfect Duties to Others in Society

Perfect duties to others are among the four classes of moral duties, with perfect duties to self, imperfect duties to self, and imperfect duties to others being the remaining three. Perfect duties to others represent the most important moral duties in attempting to establish morality within society for making up the basis of social stability, trust, and mutual respect.

Nature of Perfect Duties to Others

Perfect duties to others are stringent moral duties that must be observed at all times and under all conditions. Examples include not harming or lying to anyone. They establish minimum ethical standards that ensure everyone’s rights and dignity are protected. In observing perfect duties to others, people provide a structure of moral action that supports fairness and social order. According to Rachels and Rachels (2019), perfect duties are uncompromising in their demand because they form the basis of moral reasoning, which serves as an avenue for necessary prevention against any form of harm to society. Without such duties, people would not have any basis for dependence on others in socially unstable relationships.

In addition, more perfect duties concerning others based on human experience tend to increase respect for human dignity. Immanuel Kant’s ethical theory insists that you should treat other people as ends unto themselves, taking their dignity and worth into consideration (Kant, 1996). Observing perfect duties about another human being, for example, the perfect duty of not lying or causing harm, allows him or her equal treatment that can ensure respect and equity in society. This respect goes to the core of creating a fair society, whereby individuals are secure in the knowledge that other people will respect their dignity and equality (Rachels & Rachels, 2019).

Imperfect duties to self or others are not as inflexible in their discharge. While such duties as cultivating one’s talents or helping others who need assistance are regarded as fundamental, one has a freer play of discretion as to where and when it shall be regarded. These types of imperfect duties are also promoters of moral development; however, they provide no source for social trust and stability in the same manner that perfect duties do regarding their impacts on others (Rachels & Rachels, 2019)

In other words, perfect duties to others are the foundation of morality in society since these duties ensure the protection of individuals’ rights and, consequently, engender social stability and a culture of mutual respect. By observing these duties, society preserves an ethical matrix that fosters justice and builds trust, which is the moral foundation necessary for peaceful and cooperative living.

References

Kant, I. (1996). Groundwork of the metaphysics of morals (M. Gregor, Ed. & Trans.). Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1785).

Rachels, R., & Rachels, Y. (2019). Ethical choices: An introduction to moral philosophy with cases (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

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Discussion – Perfect Duties to Others in Society

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As discussed in the module, our moral duties can be divided into duties to self and duties to others, as well as perfect and imperfect duties (so: perfect duties to self, imperfect duties to self, perfect duties to others, imperfect duties to others). Which of these four do you think is most important to morality in a society? Why?