Final answer:
A duty is a moral or legal obligation, while a breach of duty is the failure to meet these obligations. Examples include the duty to keep a promise or to assist someone in distress, and breaching these duties may require reparation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Duty refers to a moral or legal obligation; a responsibility or commitment to act in a certain way that society or an entity expects. Breach of duty occurs when an individual fails to fulfill their commitments or obligations, either through omission or deliberate actions.
In a legal sense, duty can arise from the law or through a person's actions, for instance, by making a promise. The notion of a breach becomes relevant when there is a violation or neglect of a duty. For example, if someone promises to meet a friend but instead has to help a coworker in distress, the initial duty to meet the friend is not met, but it is justified since the duty to help the coworker in an emergency takes precedence. In this scenario, the person still holds a duty of reparation towards the friend, to explain and apologize for the broken promise, acknowledging the prima facie wrong in failing to fulfill the original duty.
Duties are often discussed in terms of prima facie duties, as described by philosopher W.D. Ross, which are our main moral commitments such as the duty of fidelity, duty of reparation, duty of gratitude, duty to promote aggregate good, and duty of non-maleficence. A breach of any of these duties would require action to make amends or to compensate for the failure to uphold the duty.
Imperfect duties, on the other hand, like the duty to be charitable, are those which we are encouraged to perform often but are not obligatory in every circumstance.