• Tobacco use and suicide fall under the duty to self.smoking kills concept studio isolated image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
  
  Deontological duties stem from the 17th century writings of Hugo Grotius, who defined the moral obligations imposed on every member of society. These duties became the inspiration for German philosopher Samual Pufendorf, who refined the theory into three main duties: duty to God, duty to self and duty to others.
  
  

God

• Deontology includes a duty to God. The first duty to God requires you to accept his existence and know his nature. It requires you to posses faith and a belief in that which is not seen. Doubt and questions are to be put aside. The second part of your duty requires you to worship God. Worship must be shown through an outward and inward approach, yet remain practical. Singing his praises accomplishes this duty.
  
  

Self

• Deontology describes two duties to self. Duty to the soul requires you to develop the skills and talents you possess, such as cultivating a music ability to play an instrument or using engineering skills to create buildings. Duty to the body demands clean and healthy living. You should not harm your body through the excessive use of tobacco, alcohol or food. Suicide is not allowed.
  
  

Others

• Deontology bases duties to others on social mores. These duties are both absolute and conditional, creating a tug of war between them. Absolute duties require you to treat others as equals, promote the good of others and do no wrong to others. Conditional duties involve social contracts and require you to keep promises and not tell lies.