Duty
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| - | The term '''[[Prussian]] virtues''' refers to an unfixed canon of several [[virtue]]s dating from [[the Enlightenment]]. Prussian virtues and the Prussian value system have influenced aspects of wider [[Culture of Germany|German culture]]. | ||
| - | ==Development== | + | '''Duty''' (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; {{lang-fro|deu, did}}, past participle of ''devoir''; {{lang-la|debere, debitum}}, whence "[[debt]]") is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment or obligation to someone or something. The moral commitment should result in action{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}; it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition. When someone recognizes a duty, that person theoretically commits themself to its fulfillment without considering their own self-interest. This is not to suggest that living a life of duty entirely precludes a life of leisure; however, its fulfillment generally involves some [[sacrifice]] of immediate self-interest. Typically, "the demands of justice, honor, and reputation are deeply bound up" with duty. |
| - | These virtues derive from King [[Frederick William I of Prussia|Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia]], the "soldier{{Ndash}}king" and frugal "bourgeois" reformer of Prussian administration, as well as from his son, [[Frederick the Great|King Friedrich II]]. The father saw himself as moral role model, while the son saw himself as an exemplar of reason for the religiously, ethnically, and linguistically diverse Prussian state. | + | |
| - | The Prussian "era of reform", from the military loss to [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] at the Battles of [[Battle of Jena|Jena]] and [[Battle of Auerstedt|Auerstedt]], until the [[Congress of Vienna]] in 1815, was also an important influence. These included reform of community boundaries, the army, schools, universities, and taxes, as well as the enfranchisement of Jews. | + | == Criticisms of the concept of duty == |
| - | ==Examples of Prussian virtues== | + | === Nietzsche === |
| - | * [[Austerity]] or Thrift (German: Sparsamkeit) | + | [[Friedrich Nietzsche]] is among the most articulate critics of the concept of duty. "What destroys a man more quickly," he asks, "than to work, think, and feel without inner necessity, without any deep personal desire, without pleasure—as a mere automaton of “duty”?" (''[[The Antichrist (book)|The Antichrist]]'', § 11) |
| - | * [[Bravery]] without self-pity (German: Tapferkeit ohne Wehleidigkeit) "Lerne leiden ohne zu klagen." Translation: "Learn to suffer without complaining about it." | + | |
| - | * [[Cosmopolitanism]] (German: Weltoffenheit) | + | |
| - | * [[Courage]] (German: Mut) | + | |
| - | * Determination (German: Zielstrebigkeit) | + | |
| - | * [[Discipline]] (German: Disziplin) | + | |
| - | * [[Honesty|Frankness]] or Probity (German: Redlichkeit) | + | |
| - | * [[Godliness]], coupled with religious [[Toleration|tolerance]] (German: Gottesfurcht bei religiöser Toleranz) "Jeder soll nach seiner Façon selig werden." Translation: "Everyone shall be blessed according to their own belief." | + | |
| - | * [[Humility]] or [[Modesty]] (German: Bescheidenheit) | + | |
| - | * [[Corruption|Incorruptibility]] (German: Unbestechlichkeit) | + | |
| - | * [[Work ethic|Industriousness]] or [[Diligence]] (German: Fleiß) | + | |
| - | * [[Loyalty]] (German: Treue) | + | |
| - | * [[Obedience (human behavior)|Obedience]] (German: Gehorsam) "Seid gehorsam, doch nicht ohne Freimut." Translation: Be obedient, but not without frankness. | + | |
| - | * [[Punctuality]] (German: Pünktlichkeit) | + | |
| - | * [[Reliability]] (German: Zuverlässigkeit) | + | |
| - | * [[Self-control|Restraint]] (German: Zurückhaltung) | + | |
| - | * [[Self-denial]] (German: Selbstverleugnung) The German author and soldier [[Walter Flex]] (1887-1917) wrote "Wer je auf Preußens Fahne schwört, hat nichts mehr, was ihm selbst gehört." Translation: "He who swears on Prussia's flag has nothing left that belongs to himself." | + | |
| - | * Self-effacement (German: Zurückhaltung) "Mehr sein als scheinen!" Translation: "Be better than you appear to be!" | + | |
| - | * Sense of [[duty]] or [[Conscientiousness]] (German: Pflichtbewusstsein) | + | |
| - | * Sense of [[justice]] (German: Gerechtigkeitssinn) ''Jedem das Seine'' or ''[[Suum cuique]]'' | + | |
| - | * [[Hierarchy|Sense of order]] (German: Ordnungssinn) | + | |
| - | * [[Sincerity]] (German: Aufrichtigkeit) | + | |
| - | * Straightness or Straightforwardness (German: Geradlinigkeit) | + | |
| - | * [[Subordination]] (German: Unterordnung) | + | |
| - | * [[Toughness]] (German: Härte) "Gegen sich mehr noch als gegen andere." Translation: "Be harder against yourself than you are against others." | + | |
| - | == In poetry == | + | Nietzsche claims that the task of all higher education is "to turn men into machines." The way to turn men into machines is to teach them to tolerate boredom. This is accomplished, Nietzsche says, by means of the concept of duty. (''[[Twilight of the Idols]]'', “Skirmishes of an untimely man” § 9.29) |
| - | The Prussian virtues may be summarized by the opening lines of the poem "{{Lang|de|Der alte Landmann an seinen Sohn}}" ("The Old Farmer to His Son") by [[Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty]] (1748–1776). The text reads as follows: "{{Lang|de|Üb' immer Treu und Redlichkeit / Bis an dein kühles Grab; / Und weiche keinen Fingerbreit / Von Gottes Wegen ab.}}" Translation: "Use always fidelity and honesty / Up to your cold grave; / And stray not one inch / From the ways of the Lord." | + | |
| - | The poem was set to music by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] to a melody adapted from the aria "{{Lang|de|Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen}}" from his 1791 opera ''[[The Magic Flute]]''. It was played daily by the carillon of the [[Garrison Church (Potsdam)|Potsdam Garrison Church]] where [[Frederick the Great]] was initially buried. | + | ==See also== |
| - | + | * [[Dharma]] | |
| - | ==Leftist criticism== | + | * [[Filial piety]] |
| - | Prussian virtues have been criticised by the middle-class bourgeoisie, for example, for its distance from natural sciences, art, and the state economy; militarism; and opposition to democracy. Labour movements opposed Prussian virtues, specifically those of respect for, or a sense of, law and order and "blind" obedience. Amongst the [[German student movement|German student protests of 1968]], Prussian virtues were regarded with suspicion, given the previous loyalty and obedience to the Nazi government. | + | * [[Mitzvah]] |
| - | + | * [[Obedient Wives Club]] | |
| - | In modern-day Germany, Prussian virtues are occasionally referred to and receive mixed criticism. In 1982, amid the controversy surrounding the [[NATO Double-Track Decision]], in response to [[Social Democratic Party of Germany]] [[Chancellor of Germany]] [[Helmut Schmidt]]'s call for a return to such virtues, [[Saarbrücken]]'s SPD mayor [[Oskar Lafontaine]] commented that these were "perfectly suited to run a concentration camp". In 2006, the Prime Minister of Brandenburg [[Matthias Platzeck]] called for a return to Prussian, citing "good basic virtues, such as honesty, reliability, and diligence. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | == See also == | + | |
| - | *[[Chivalry]] | + | |
| - | *''[[Furor Teutonicus]]'' | + | |
| - | *[[Kingdom of Prussia]] | + | |
| - | *[[Protestant work ethic]] | + | |
| - | *[[Prussian Army]] | + | |
| - | *[[If—]] | + | |
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Duty (from "due" meaning "that which is owing"; Template:Lang-fro, past participle of devoir; Template:Lang-la, whence "debt") is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment or obligation to someone or something. The moral commitment should result in actionTemplate:Citation needed; it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition. When someone recognizes a duty, that person theoretically commits themself to its fulfillment without considering their own self-interest. This is not to suggest that living a life of duty entirely precludes a life of leisure; however, its fulfillment generally involves some sacrifice of immediate self-interest. Typically, "the demands of justice, honor, and reputation are deeply bound up" with duty.
Criticisms of the concept of duty
Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche is among the most articulate critics of the concept of duty. "What destroys a man more quickly," he asks, "than to work, think, and feel without inner necessity, without any deep personal desire, without pleasure—as a mere automaton of “duty”?" (The Antichrist, § 11)
Nietzsche claims that the task of all higher education is "to turn men into machines." The way to turn men into machines is to teach them to tolerate boredom. This is accomplished, Nietzsche says, by means of the concept of duty. (Twilight of the Idols, “Skirmishes of an untimely man” § 9.29)
See also
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