moral necessity
Duty demands it
Moral necessity is an obligation arising from ethical principles rather than physical force or legal requirement.
Something done out of moral necessity feels compelled by conscience or duty: Helping the refugees wasn't optional—it was a moral necessity.
The phrase often appears in arguments for action that might otherwise be avoided: She saw speaking out as a moral necessity, whatever the cost.
- obligationRequired task or commitment
- ethical obligationRequired by right conduct
- dutyRequired moral task
- imperativeUnavoidably necessary
- categorical imperativeUnconditional ethical obligation
conscience · ought · must · do the right thing · compulsion · ethics · responsibility · righteous · binding · mandate · principle · conviction · urgency · calling · honor · sacred trust · justice · integrity
- Kantian ethicscategorical imperative, Kant, good will, practical reason, maxims
- freedomfreedom of choice, freedom of will, free will, expression, speech
- legal defensesself-defense, alibi, affirmative defense, insanity defense, insanity
moral necessitywhim
Sudden arbitrary desire
caprice · self-interest · expediency · impulse · expedience
moral, morals, morally, morality, immoral, immorally, immorality, amoral, amorally