Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Political obligation[edit]
A political obligation is a requirement for the citizens of a society to follow the laws of that
society.[7] There are philosophical issues, however, about whether a citizen should follow a law
simply because it is a law. There are various views about whether a political obligation is a
moral obligation. John Rawls argues that people do have political obligations because of
the principle of fairness. Humanity benefits from the joint effort of the government, so, in
fairness, they should be active and supportive members of this effort.[7] There are people,
however, such as Robert Nozick, who argue enjoyment of a community effort does not mean
obligation to that effort.[7]
Social obligation[edit]
Social obligations refer to the things we as individuals accept because it is collectively accepted.
[8]
When people agree to a promise or an agreement, they are collectively consenting to its
terms. Humanity is obligated to fulfil that promise or agreement.[8]