The Central Question
Can you have moral duties to yourself?
We usually think of duties as things we owe to other people.
You can owe someone honesty, assistance, or an apology, but can you owe something to yourself?
The problem is though that if you are the person who has the duty and also the person to whom the duty is owed, it may seem that you could simply release yourself from the obligation.
That raises a deeper question:
Can a person wrong themselves?
Some Possibilities
A duty to yourself might involve:
- Taking care of your future self
- Developing your abilities
- Respecting yourself
- Refusing to humiliate or degrade yourself
- Keeping promises you make to yourself
- Avoiding unnecessary risks
- Being honest with yourself
- Protecting your ability to make your own choices
But are these really moral duties or are they simply be good advice.
There is a difference between saying:
You would be better off if you did this.
and saying:
You ought to do this, even if you do not want to.
The second claim is much stronger.
Questions
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Can you wrong yourself? If so, how?
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If you freely choose something that harms no one but yourself, can it be morally wrong for you to do it?
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Do you have obligations to your future self? Can your present self make promises to your future self? Is wasting your talents morally wrong, or merely unwise? Do you have a duty to take care of your health?
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Do you have a duty to respect yourself? Can someone willingly allow themselves to be treated in a way they ought not to accept?
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Is there anything you should refuse to do even if doing it would make you happier?
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Can you have a moral duty to become a better person?
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Are duties to yourself really moral duties, or are they just prudential advice?
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Who gets to decide what you owe yourself?