Man And Duty

Man comes from the Latin word Humanitas,

which means human are nature, general, culture of
the mind. It is also men in general. Humans is
taken as a unit. Most philosophers defined as any
human being endowed with reason. What man is the
ultimate metaphysical question.
Man, has rights and duties to do, but what is the
right and duties of man? Rights are moral claims of
individuals recognized by society. It resides in some
individuals and they have rights to certain things
which are necessary for their self-realization. While
Duties are moral debts or obligations of individuals
recognized by society. These are moral obligations,
on the part of other individuals, to respect those
rights.

Rights and duties are correlative to each other. They

are correlative to each other, because they are
reciprocal relations between individuals in a changing
society.
Before man have an obligation to others, first he
has duty to his own self. The foundation of mans
duty to himself are (1) the excellence and
The Duties ofofMan
are classified
into
fourthyself
categories,
perfectibility
his nature
and (2)
love
with a
namely:
well-regulated
love.
Mans Duties to God

-Natural Law obliges man to acknowledge his Dependence

on God as the Supreme Being, Sovereign Truth and
Goodness, and to express by external actions this interior
and voluntary acknowledgment of his dependence.

The sum of the duties by which man acknowledges

interiorly his dependence on his Creator and
expresses this dependence in external actions is
called Religion.
Mans Duties to his Soul
Man, is bound to cultivate his intellect, to apply
himself to the study of those truths the knowledge of
which is necessary to him for attaining his last end.-Man is made to know truth; but he cannot attain truth
without labor and the cultivation of his intellect;
therefore, he is bound to this labor and cultivation.
Man, is bound to cultivate his intellect, to apply
himself to the study of those

truths the knowledge of which is necessary to him for

attaining his last end. -- Man is made to know truth; but
he cannot attain truth without labor and the cultivation
of his intellect; therefore, he is bound to this labor and
cultivation. And since there are four kinds of moral virtue
necessary to the perfection of the will, man should strive
to acquire them, so that byprudencehe may judge
justly what should be done or avoided, and this is an
intellectual operation; byjusticehe may give everyone
his due; byfortitudehe may strengthen the sensitive
appetite to overcome difficulties; bytemperancehe may
hold it in check and regulate its tendencies.

Mans Duties to his Body

Man, is bound to watch over the preservation of his body.
Man, cannot fulfil his destiny in this life without his body;
therefore, he should watch over its preservation. And since
health of body is necessary for the development of the
soul's faculties and the fulfilment of many of man's duties,
it follows that man should have a prudent care of his
health, that he should preserve it by conforming to the
rules of temperance and sobriety, and restore it when it
has been impaired.

Mans Duties to his Fellow-men

Even apart from civil society men are bound to
reciprocal duties in virtue of the likeness of their
specific nature and the identity of their end.-- All
men have the same specific nature, the same origin,
and the same end. This establishes a kind of affinity
among them which, apart from civil society, imposes
on them reciprocal duties.
From love of one's neighbor results the duty of doing
nothing that injures his moral dignity, or impedes or
perverts the lawful exercise of his free will. -- The
moral dignity of one's neighbor is impaired by
scandal, which gives him an occasion of falling into

From the love of one's neighbor arises the duty of

doing no violence to his intellect by deceitfully
leading him into error. -- Veracity is indispensable to
society. Besides, even if lying would not harm society,
it would still be an evil, for God has given speech to
man as a means of expressing his thoughts and
communicating with his equals; therefore, to use it to
deceive is to oppose nature.
From love of one's neighbor results the duty of not
attempting his life or maltreating his body. -- Life is a
most precious boon to man, for it enables him to
work out his present destiny and to prepare for his
future state; hence homicide is one of the greatest

From love of one's neighbor arises the duty not

merely of doing him no harm, but even of doing him
good. -- We ought to love our neighbor as ourselves;
now, we wish not only that others do us no evil, but
also that they do us good. Hence besides negative or
perfect duties, we have also positive or imperfect
duties toward our neighbor. We should enlighten his
mind, strengthen his will in the practice of good, help
him in need, and defend his good name.

The Rights of man are enumerated below:

Right to Live
This is the first rights of man. Self-realization is the
highest good, which requires the continuance of life
for its realization. The right to live is the primary
right. The sacredness of the life should be
recognized. The right of life brings a moral obligation
to treat our own life and that of others as a sacred
thing. We should not hinder or destroy our own life.
We should not take the life of any other person. We
should further our own life and that of others.

Right of Education
The right and obligation are closely connected with
each other. Every person has a right to have the best
education he can receive. He is under moral
obligation to receive the best education per his
capacity. Education develops the intellect, sharpens
the understanding, and widens the intellectual
horizon. It is necessary for self-expression and selfdevelopment.

Right to Work
The right to work or employment follows from the
right to live. If a person does not get employment, he
cannot earn his livelihood. A modern welfare State
should ensure the full employment of every citizen,
because unemployment or under-employment
deprives him of the opportunity for self-realization.
Right to employment should be recognized by every
welfare State.