We are not legally required to comply with moral obligations, but we are legally required to comply with legal obligations. In addition to contractual obligations, you also have an obligation to comply with the law. Jurists have long debated whether compliance with the law is a moral obligation. Proponents of civil disobedience, for example, argue that they have a moral obligation not to obey unjust laws. However, if you fail to comply with the terms of a legal contract you have entered into or violate state or federal laws, you may be imprisoned or prosecuted. For example, your contract does not have to stipulate that you pay the minimum wage to employees. The law requires you to do so. A final area for legal obligations and compliance that needs to be considered by anyone running a business in the UK is the legal requirements for a website. There are a number of laws that set out the requirements that must be met if your business has a website.
Respecting one`s parents and teachers, taking care of one`s family and helping those in need are some examples of moral duties, while obeying the Constitution, paying taxes honestly and regularly, are examples of legal duties. A moral duty is an obligation based on morality or ethics, while a legal duty is an obligation based on the law of a country. This is therefore the main difference between moral duty and legal duty. However, if a person does not fulfill a legal obligation, he will be punished by law and the state. Signing a contract with a clause that you believe violates your company`s moral obligations is not a valid legal ground for violating the contract. Therefore, it is important to read contracts carefully before signing them. However, if the contract violates local laws, it may not be enforceable. Some treaties are so problematic that courts can declare them unscrupulous – sometimes on the basis of moral principles. For example, if you write in your contract that employees will have to pay you money if your company goes bankrupt, a court could rule that this is unscrupulous and violates basic moral standards. The first legal code, the Code of Your-Nammu, was developed in Mesopotamia around 2000 BC. The Code lists prohibited acts and the sanctions associated with them.
The law had the support of the ruling power and was enforced throughout the empire. The Codex of your-Nammu was remarkably modern with a mix of physical and financial penalties. The current laws are still inspired by the structure of the Codex of your-Nammu. The legal obligation is completely different from the moral obligation. A legal obligation is an obligation based on the law of a country. Citizens of a country are legally obliged to fulfil these obligations. If they do not execute them, the state can punish them. For example, citizens must show obedience to the Constitution, pay taxes honestly and regularly. It is also the legal duty of citizens to remain faithful to the country.
Let`s look at other examples of legal obligations. What is legal and what is moral is similar in many ways, but very different in others. Both offer social organization, that is, they shape how people behave and what is considered socially acceptable. They also help people interact more consistently and aim to protect individuals from harm. After all, they accept or discourage many of the same actions. For example, drunk driving is legally and morally unacceptable. Employer obligations An employer`s obligations are often bound by legal obligations. For example, an employer must implement occupational health and safety measures in accordance with local, state, and federal laws, as well as industry standards.
Emergency exits should be easily accessible. If a person does not fulfill a moral duty, he will not receive punishment. However, if a person does not fulfill a legal obligation, he will be punished by law and the state. Legal. Ethics. Based on laws created and enforced by the government. On the basis of codes of conduct or moral codes adhered to by a particular population. Compliance with the laws is mandatory. Compliance with ethical standards is voluntary. Non-compliance is punishable.
Non-compliance is generally not punishable. A moral obligation is something you have to do in a particular ethical system. Philosophers, lawyers, and politicians have been arguing for centuries over what constitutes a moral obligation, and two people can argue strongly about those obligations. For example, your employees might feel that you have a moral obligation to give an annual increase in the cost of living. Certain moral obligations are generally accepted and enshrined in law. Few would disagree with the fact that we have a moral obligation to avoid murder. However, law and morality are not the same thing. On the one hand, the law is binary, which means that an act is legal or illegal. But morality is full of gray areas. For example, stealing bread is illegal regardless of motivation, but most people are more sympathetic when made to feed hungry orphans than as a random act of theft. In addition, the law is enforced by government actors such as the police and courts, and there are fixed penalties for offenders. Morality is not formally regulated, although there can certainly be social consequences for immoral actions.
After all, the law is the same for all citizens, but morality depends on who you ask because everyone has a different perspective and experience. Keep these similarities and differences in mind as we define exactly what legal and moral meaning means. Although it is possible to have morality without law or law without morality, the two usually go hand in hand. Therefore, we propose that the law codify morality. In other words, the law formulates the morality of culture in legal codes. Again, not all legal codes refer to a moral issue, but most laws have some moral significance. Although there is a connection between morality and legality, they are clearly not the same things. As society evolves and opinions change, so does what is considered moral.
Looking back in history, there are many examples of laws that were clearly immoral by today`s standards. The United States has stolen Native American land, enslaved blacks for generations, and discriminated against homosexuals, among many other examples. As society becomes more informed and open, citizens demand that their laws reflect their new definition of what is moral. Although not everyone agrees with the decisions, changing the laws is a big step towards a change in general social opinions. By amending the law, the company will be informed of the new definition of what is acceptable. Law and morality interact with each other and often change the other. Ultimately, when laws are unjust or outdated, people have to stand up and fight for what is right. When you sign a contract, you are required by law to comply with the terms of the contract.
Contracts may require you to do things you think are immoral, but they usually can`t force you to break the law. For example, you can`t sign a contract to enslave an employee or kill someone. However, you may waive certain legal rights, for example, by agreeing to arbitrate all disputes or by transferring your copyright to a creative work. Negative obligations refer to an obligation not to act; that is, refrain from actions that would violate human rights. It is particularly important to distinguish between morality and law, because the discussion between morality and legality is often mixed. On the one hand, the two are different because we believe that some legal acts are immoral and some laws are unjust. And even if the law didn`t prohibit murder, theft, etc., we`d probably still think they were wrong. This suggests that the two are not co-extended. On the other hand, the two are linked because the law embodies many moral commandments. Legal prohibitions include most of our ordinary moral rules such as those against lying, murder, fraud, rape, and theft. .