Center for Ethical Deliberation

Stages of the Duty Framework

This framework looks at the world as being governed by a set of moral rules that we have a duty to follow.
Duties, in this framework, are not just what some authority figure told you to do; they are rules that can be justified with reasons and evidence (see the specific Duty perspectives on this website for more ideas about justification).
It also reminds us that all human beings as having innate rights or dignity that we ought to respect.

The first type of judgment you must make within this framework is to determine what your genuine duties are [delete to end of sentence]. Specific perspectives can be very helpful in making this decision.
The second type of judgment is to figure out precisely how the relevant duties apply to your specific situation.
You must also be prepared to resolve any real or apparent conflicts between duties. As a general rule, you should make sure you don’t do anything that violates a negative duty (a duty like “do not lie”). Then, you should try to fulfill more positive duties (duties like “be helpful to other people”).

This framework embraces a fairly traditional stance on morality that follows basic moral rules and strives to protect human rights. By following it, you will be able to explain how and why those rules apply, making you more confident that your decision is really ethical.
You will also have some protection from “bad luck,” as this framework says we don’t have to feel responsible for bad results, as long as we did what our duty required.