Legal Definitions - moral necessity

Definition: Moral necessity is a type of necessity that arises from a duty that a person has to act in a particular way.

For example, if a person sees someone drowning in a river, they have a moral duty to try and save them. In this situation, the person may feel a moral necessity to jump into the river and try to rescue the drowning person.

Moral necessity is different from physical necessity, which involves a tangible force that compels a person to act in a particular way. It is also different from private necessity, which involves only the defendant's personal interest and provides only a limited privilege, and public necessity, which involves the public interest and completely excuses the defendant's liability.

Overall, moral necessity is a type of necessity that arises from a person's moral duty to act in a particular way, even if it involves some risk or harm to themselves or others.