Homework (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what homework is, what types exist and various examples. In addition, we tell you how they relate to rights.

What are duties?

The duties are the commitments, obligations and mandates that society imposes on people in a specific area and whose compliance reaffirms the ethical, legal and moral commitment of individuals to others. They are complemented in the legal order with rights, so that when fulfilling their obligations towards the group, people in exchange they obtain certain protection and certain freedoms.

the word duty comes from latin I will owe (“duty”), related to debit (“debt”), so it can be understood as a debt to be settled that an individual has with respect to another or with respect to the society in which he lives. The duties are created by law, custom, morality, religion and ethics and in many cases non-compliance entails some type of sanction or penance.

According to Cicero (106-43 BC), philosopher and politician of Ancient Rome, duties in society can have four specific origins:

They can originate from the mere fact of being a human being.
They can originate from the social context in which one lives (the country, the family).
They can originate from the character or way of being of people.
They can originate from the moral expectations of each person.

So duties are an intrinsic part of human social organization, since in every society a person must fulfill certain tasks for the benefit of others, so that the latter in turn carry out certain tasks for their benefit. This exchange of duties allows, to a large extent, an organized collective existence.

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In some Latin American countries they speak of “homework” to refer to school obligations.

Duties and rights

If duties consist of obligations that are imposed on individuals, Rights are benefits that society grants to people. In this way, in order to demand respect or compliance with the rights granted by society, people are expected to comply with their imposed duties in return.

Sometimes, duties require the supervision of the community, through public institutions; while the exercise of certain rights may be entirely subject to individual will. Others, such as the right to life, are inalienable and it is the State, again, that must ensure its fulfillment.

Types of duties

Duties can be of different types, depending on the nature of the obligation they imply. Thus, we can distinguish between:

Filial or family duties. They are those that arise from an interpersonal bond, especially in relation to the family. These duties link the different generations (such as parents and children), and form an important part of the conception of collective identity. For example, it is a family duty of parents to ensure that their children do not lack anything, and in the same way it is a family duty of children to respect their parents and care for them in old age.
Civic or citizen duties. They are those that emerge from community life and the national order, imposed by a certain sense of patriotic duty or contribution to the functioning of the community itself. These duties may or may not be contemplated in the law, but they have to do with the moral commitment of citizens regarding order and coexistence. Therefore, non-compliance does not always lead to legal sanctions, but rather social ones. For example, it is a civic duty to cross the street on the pedestrian path, donate blood when requested, and pay taxes on time.
Ethical or labor duties. They are those that arise from work and professional practice, and are supported by an ethical consideration of the profession. That is, people's commitment to work pushes them to fulfill certain duties regarding the way they do it. For example, doctors have a duty not to cause intentional harm and lawyers have a duty to respect their clients' privacy.
Legal or legal duties. They are those that emerge from legal norms and jurisprudence, that is, from the law. These types of duties are mandatory and failure to comply normally entails exemplary punishments, also established by law. These are, therefore, prescriptive rules of conduct. For example, respect for the rights of others, the duty to vote when voting is mandatory, and the duty to comply with the terms of a contract that has been signed are legal duties.
religious duties. They are those that emerge from religious codes, that is, spiritual and moral, and that have to do with the bond between people and God. Non-compliance, therefore, does not necessarily entail real, verifiable sanctions, but it can cause certain social rejection in very fervent communities. In fundamentalist countries, religious duties are also legal duties. For example, Jews and Muslims must not eat pork, and Christians must attend mass on Sundays.