duty
sense of moral obligation highlighted by Immanual Kant as distinguishing humanity from other animal beings. He speaks of it as a "categorical imperative", or distinctive drive. If we fail to attend to it, we are lesser beings than we are designed to be. Popular manifestations of this sense are found in the appeals to patriotic loyalty found in times of national crisis, or in the scouting movement's promotion of individual honour. The source of duty may stem from the feeling of belonging engendered within a nation or an association, and deliberately cultivated in such a context. Ultimately, however, it is seen by Kant as God given. Critics claim that a great many children and adults appear to lack a sense of duty of any kind. Christians respond with the conviction that it is educable.
See also:
deontology