Law in Contemporary Society

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DutyandResponsibility 17 - 26 Jan 2008 - Main.KateVershov
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I'm actually really glad no one used the words "duty" or "responsibility" in their introductory statements. I don't believe in the concept of altruism. No one does anything from which they don't benefit and I'm glad that no one decided to declare him or herself a martyr for society. If being self-sacrificing makes you feel good, then you are benefiting from your "altruistic" act. One should commit his or her life to something they love, something that brings joy. Doing something out of guilt (which is how I see "duty") will not bring you joy or self-satisfaction in life and ultimately, you can't be truly committed or good at something you do with a groan. -- KateVershov - 24 Jan 2008
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 Kate's point that the term "duty" can be used to excuse the coercive power of government or society is well taken, but I don't think we need to get rid of the word to make the point. Like every word, "duty" can be understood in different ways - just be clear how you mean it when you use it, and we will all be happy and intelligible.

-- TheodoreSmith - 26 Jan 2008

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Theodore, I wrote a really long post trying to explain exactly what you have so well explained for me. Thank you. My point, however, was that the way we commonly use the word "duty" - to mean something we feel a strong moral desire to do - was already reflected in many of our statements. So my point was that actually using the word "duty" would have added nothing to our statements and its omission should leave no ground for protest unless of course we are in fact supposed to think of the word "duty" as referring to some sort of debt or obligation to the government or society at large.

-- KateVershov - 26 Jan 2008

 
 
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Revision 17r17 - 26 Jan 2008 - 22:09:37 - KateVershov
Revision 16r16 - 26 Jan 2008 - 20:55:27 - TheodoreSmith
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