Duties and Rights

Duties are closely associated with rights in liberal thought. Within the liberal tradition, broadly defined as invoking centrality of rights, we can identify distinct positions i) Interest Theory, ii) Choice Theory, iii) Autonomy and iv) Justice in the duties and rights.  

Contrast to liberals, conservatives stress on duties and the grounds they adduce for the same vary markedly. According to them, social institutions and mores are formed through the efforts of several preceding generations.   It is important that every generation be inserted into the culture, mores and institutions of society rather than every individual think that he has the right to choose culture, mores and institutions of his choice. Conservative stressed on the respect of established societies rather scrutinizing them. 

  While the idea of autonomy is deeply influenced by Kant, communitarians are influenced by certain ideas underscored by Aristotle and Hegel. Communitarians argue that right-based theories ignored the fact that our capacity to conceive and exercise rights and pursue autonomy can only develop in society, in and through relations and interactions with others. They argue that prioritisation of rights neglects the social conditions that enable us to exercise choices. They stress on duties and duty to sustain institutions which can promote virtue and collective good.

M.K. Gandhi is well known for his stress on duties and his identification of dharma as the path of duty. He also upheld the values of ‘swaraj’. Such a fusion of dharma and swaraj, or duty and freedom, is a characteristic mark of Gandhian thought. Though Gandhi argues that all men and women are equal yet he supported to cohesive Varna system with mutual respect. According to him, duty of self-discipline and a transformation on that basis is key of dharma. Duty is the rule of the mind over passions. Self-rule enables one to pursue Artha and Kama within the bounds of dharma.