Samuel Johnson, Our Greatest Moralist: Conclusion
In his moral writings, Dr. Johnson showed himself a devotee to duty almost on the level with Robert E. Lee’s, who described it as “the sublimest word in the English language, adding, “You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.” The concept of duty has been somewhat tarnished by Victorian moralists who too often seem to be advocating the virtue of prigs, and, worse, by philosophers who, since the 18th century, have got into the habit of regarding all duties as abstract, universal, and rational. A locus classicus for this approach...