public duty
Service to society
Public duty is an obligation arising from one's role in government or civic life—the responsibilities officials, employees, or citizens owe to the community rather than to private interests.
A police officer has a public duty to protect citizens; a juror has a public duty to deliberate fairly.
In law, breach of public duty can expose officials to liability: The city was sued for failing its public duty to maintain safe roads.
- votingFormally registering a choice
- paying taxesSubmitting owed revenue
- taxationCompulsory government revenue collection
- good citizenLaw-abiding community participant
- citizenshipStatus as state member
accountability · civil service · integrity · conscription · mandatory reporting · governance · neighborhood watch · compliance · transparency · community service · oath of office · policymaking · regulation · volunteering · statutory requirements · rule of law · honesty · moral obligation
- legal defensesself-defense, alibi, affirmative defense, insanity defense, insanity
- legal dutiesobligation, legal obligation, standard of care
- emergency help911, ambulance, EMT, paramedic, paramedics
- ancient ethicsAristotle, Plato, Socrates, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius
- Roman Politicsconsul, senate, praetor, tribune, Roman Senate
- government tortssovereign immunity, qualified immunity, absolute immunity, civil rights violations, color of law
public dutyself-interest
Concern for personal advantage
egoism · looking out for number one · selfishness · self-advancement · greed
public dutypersonal freedom
Control over one's life
individual liberty · leisure · leisure time · hobby · free choice
public dutyprivate life
One's nonpublic existence
family obligation · domestic affairs · private matter · personal business · home life