6 Major Moral Duties of a Man - Explained! (2024)

6 Major Moral Duties of a Man are as follows:

1. Respect of Life:

It is man’s prime duty to respect his own life and the lives of others. Both suicide and homicide are equally serious unmoral deeds. Every man has the right to protect his own life but at the same time it is incumbent upon him to protect or at least to desist from injuring the lives of others. Non-violence is the ultimate duty. No man should harm the health or life of any other person.

2. Respect of Freedom:

The respect of freedom is contiguous to the right of freedom. In the modem age especially is there an urgent need for stressing this duty because everywhere people are raising their voices against any form of oppression.

Every person is himself an end. No one is invested with authority to make use of him as a means. One’s behavior should be conducted in a manner befitting a man as a human being. Thus, making other slave for oneself and exploiting them is an act of extreme immorality.

3. Respect of Character:

Another of man’s duties is the respect of character. It is the supreme quality of mankind. It is the basis of his morality. Every person should be an individual and respect all others as individuals.

Character is an essential part of personality and from the moral view it is character which is the foundation of personality. Thus we should respect character hi others and ourselves.

4. Respect of Property:

Along with the right of property one is confronted by the duty of respect of property. Every individual possesses the right to make a constructive or proper use of his personal property.

Thus we should not interfere with others doing so. Theft is a moral crime for this reason. No one has the right to appropriate another’s property by wrong methods. Thus to the respect of property it attached the idea of the propriety of ends.

Thus, it is the duty of every person to respect the social order. His doing so will ensure the welfare of both society and the individual. A person’s rights can be protected only if some social order is maintained.

If the social order is shattered, the rights of everyone will be endangered and the moral development of the person shall be in jeopardy. A proper moral development of an individual can be the outcome only of an organized social structure. Thus social order is a sacred organization. It should be respected by all.

5. Respect of Truth:

The respect of truth is attained to the right of contract. It is a moral maximum that you will refrain front false statement a man should be faithful to his promises which he should fulfill.

Every person should incorporate thought and promise as well as promise and action. It is for him to say what he thinks and to do what he has said. Thus it is a moral duty to respect truth in thought, speech and action.

6. Respect of Progress:

Ethics places its faith in the progress of mankind. Every person should evince a faith in progress and respect progress. Work is worship. Society can progress only if man does so.

The actual extent of progress in society is a debatable question but it is man’s duty and supreme morality to exert him for progress without getting involved in this question.