What is the difference between rights and duties

Rights and duties are two concepts that are on everyone's lips, it is said that one can not exist without the other, that there can not be duties if there are not previously rights, and vice versa, but we really know what it means each?

For a society to work, so that life in common among thousands and thousands of people can pass without incident, regulation, rights and duties are needed, but these basic and important concepts are often not understood or understood.

Then, in .com, we will explain in detail what is a right and what is a duty, then, with the concepts already clear, explain what is the difference between rights and duties .

What are homework?

To know what is the difference between rights and duties, it is necessary to know what each thing means. In the first instance, duties are the obligations that a party, whether a person, a country or a certain group, has with respect to another party. These duties are subject to laws or regulations, depending on the area to which they belong, and if they are not carried out, they usually have some type of sanction, punishment or fine for those who have not complied.

As we have said there are different types of duties, we will explain some of the most important ones below:

  • Financial duty: In this type of duty financial obligations are framed, that is, everything that is related to the loans of money or goods . An example of financial duty is the obligation that a person has to pay the amount agreed by the bank after contracting a mortgage. That person is obliged to pay in the agreed terms the amounts that have been agreed.
  • Legal duty: Legal duties are those in which the parties are legally bound, with a framework of laws that protect them. An example of legal right is the bond that unites worker and employer, while the former is obliged to perform the work for which he has been hired, the latter has the duty to give the economic compensation that was signed in the contract.
  • Duty moral: Unlike the previous ones, the moral duty is not subject to any regulations or written law, but has to do with what is commonly accepted as good and evil . The moral duty is what pushes us to do good, sometimes, although our will is to do something else. An example of moral duty could be given in the case that a friend asked for help to make the move, you probably do not feel like it and you have already made plans, but he helped you in your move and now you owe it to him.
  • Tax duty : Tax duty is born in modern societies and is the legal bond that obliges to pay taxes and other taxes to all citizens in exchange for social services and other public goods.
  • Social duty : The social duty is closely linked to the moral duty, although it has some significant differences. This duty should be characterized as the obligation that all members of a society have to respect certain rules of conduct and act in a certain way. An example of social duty is the convention of passing when the traffic light is green, otherwise life in society would be chaotic.

What are the rights

We already have a concept, now we need to know the second to know what is the difference between rights and duties . If we have said that a duty is an obligation of one party with respect to another, duty is what protects that second party to receive that consideration .

We speak of rights when we refer to the whole system of norms that regulate our life in society, taking into account the principles of justice and equality. It is from the rights that we can resolve the disputes and conflicts that can occur between individuals, countries and organizations. As happens with the duties, there are also different types of rights, then we explain them:

  • The natural rights: They are the innate rights in the human being, present in him from the day he is born, they do not have to be included in any law or constitution because they are universal and irrevocable. The main natural right that all humans have is the right to life.
  • positive rights: Unlike natural rights, positive rights are those that must be explicitly recognized by the state, explained in laws and constitutions, and that are regulated and legalized, entering into force on the day they are approved and that they stop being the day they are repealed. These rights are the set of rules, norms and laws that a State gives itself to regulate life in society and establish what are the things that can be done and what are the things that are not. Among many possible examples we can put the right to receive a salary for our work, a right regulated by law that requires a company to give back to a worker for his employment.

What is the difference between rights and duties

Once the concepts of law and duty have been explained, we can return to the central point . What is the difference between rights and duties? We have explained that duties are an obligation that one party has with respect to another, but if the other party receives that obligation is why it protects a right. If the rights are the privileges that people, companies and states have, the duties are the obligations to carry out certain things.

Right does not mean to do what you want, it means that you can comply with everything that the law allows you, a limit that is marked by the rights of other people. Everyone has the right to life, that means you can not kill or inflict harm on anyone. Just as we all have the right to life, we also have a duty to help, to help someone who is in danger. That is to say, that the duties, the obligations that you have with the society, are what allow you to have rights, the privileges that you enjoy in a society.

The difference and relationship between rights and duties can be clearly seen in an example:

In western democracies citizens have some tax duties with the government, they are obliged to pay taxes and fees for different concepts. These taxes are used to defray public expenses such as healthcare, in this way, the tax duty with the state is what guarantees us the right to public health.