Pflichtenkreise

Pflichtenkreise is a concept in ethics and social philosophy that describes a model in which a person’s obligations are organized in concentric circles around the individual. The innermost circle typically contains duties toward close family and intimate partners, reflecting personal and emotional commitments. The next circle encompasses obligations arising from social roles and professional duties, such as responsibilities to employers, colleagues, clients, and dependents. The outer circles extend to broader responsibilities toward society, the state, the environment, future generations, and humanity as a whole.

The model is used to illustrate how moral obligations can vary in scope and intensity. Inner duties are usually seen as more immediate or burdensome, but none are inherently absolute, and conflicts between duties are analyzed in terms of relevance, urgency, and context rather than a single, universal hierarchy. The circles help ordinary citizens and professionals reflect on how different responsibilities interact and compete in real-life decisions.

Applications of the concept appear in discussions of caregiving, professional ethics, civic responsibility, and policy debates about balancing individual rights with the common good. Critics note that the circle model can oversimplify complex ethical situations, since duties often cross circle boundaries and may be shaped by culture, law, and personal conscience. Nevertheless, the Pflichtenkreise provides a heuristic for clarifying multilayered duties and for examining how personal, professional, and societal obligations may converge or clash.

See also: moral circle, deontology, virtue ethics, role ethics, professional ethics.