You haven't detailed what you mean by "obligation".
Specifically:
- What is the obligation? What we deem most beneficial, what society deems most beneficial, what society deems most monetarily valuable, what prolongs the most lives?
- To whom is the obligation due? Those living under the same legal framework as us (at the local, state, or federal level), those living in nations with compatible frameworks, or all of humanity? Do people from the future count, and if so, is improving a life 50 years from now equal to improving a life today?
- Who, specifically, has this obligation? Is it only those who have benefited the most from society, or those who have benefited more than they have given up, or every member of society? Is the obligation limited to able-bodied adults, or does it include children and the handicapped?
- How far does this obligation go? Is there a way to fulfill it and be released from future obligation (say, through adequate military service or charitable giving)? Does the obligation to one society remain even if one moves to a different society?
If the existence of collective sacrifice via legal frameworks is what creates obligation to society, the answers to the above questions should follow from there. I'm having a hard time seeing how you think they do.
Specifically:
- What is the obligation? What we deem most beneficial, what society deems most beneficial, what society deems most monetarily valuable, what prolongs the most lives?
- To whom is the obligation due? Those living under the same legal framework as us (at the local, state, or federal level), those living in nations with compatible frameworks, or all of humanity? Do people from the future count, and if so, is improving a life 50 years from now equal to improving a life today?
- Who, specifically, has this obligation? Is it only those who have benefited the most from society, or those who have benefited more than they have given up, or every member of society? Is the obligation limited to able-bodied adults, or does it include children and the handicapped?
- How far does this obligation go? Is there a way to fulfill it and be released from future obligation (say, through adequate military service or charitable giving)? Does the obligation to one society remain even if one moves to a different society?
If the existence of collective sacrifice via legal frameworks is what creates obligation to society, the answers to the above questions should follow from there. I'm having a hard time seeing how you think they do.