oughtness

1. (chiefly philosophy) In ethics, the quality which makes an action dutiful or morally obligatory.Examples: "Every attempt to derive oughtness from rightness must, as we have shown, either end in an illogical system or destroy the possibility of a separate science of Ethics at all."; "Oughtness, may I suggest, consists in the power which a greater good has over a lesser good in compelling our choices."; "Combining the reality of politics with a sense of "oughtness" creates a sense of duty to the collective."countableuncountable

2. (rare) The state or characteristic of something's being as it ought to be; rightness.countablerareuncountable

3. (rare) The obligatoriness of future actions or future states of affairs which are morally worthy of being produced through human effort.Examples: "I refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him."countablerareuncountable