ethical duty
Right thing demanded
An ethical duty is a moral obligation to act in a certain way, regardless of personal preference or convenience.
Unlike legal duties, ethical duties arise from conscience, professional codes, or widely shared principles rather than enforceable law: Doctors have an ethical duty to protect patient confidentiality.
The phrase often appears when someone weighs what they must do against what they want to do.
- fiduciaryAgent bound by loyalty
- code of conductFormal behavioral guidelines
- code of ethicsPrinciples governing professional conduct
- moral compassInner ethical guidance system
- do the right thingBehave with moral integrity
virtue · deontology · accountability · sworn oath · good faith · due diligence · conflict of interest · categorical imperative · responsibility · informed consent · honesty · integrity · moral obligation · impartiality · conscientiousness · justice · fairness · social contract
- dutiestask, obligation, moral obligation, responsibility, mandate
- duty
- ethicsmorality, deontology, dignity, sanctity of life, utilitarianism
- obligationsobligations, contractual obligations, contract, military service, agreement
- Kantian ethicscategorical imperative, Kant, moral law, good will, practical reason
- confidentialityNDA, non-disclosure, nondisclosure, confidentiality clause, confidentiality
ethical dutyforbidden act
Banned behavior
sin · ethical violation · transgression · wrong · ethical breach
ethical dutywhim
Sudden arbitrary desire
inclination · taste · caprice · personal choice · desire