Will, Morality, Supererogation

Supererogatory conduct, i. e. the performance of extraordinary deeds, presents a challenge to systems such as Spinoza's and Kant's, in which 'good' is a characteristic of generalizable behavior. However, the expression 'beyond the call of duty' is as subtly inaccurate as is Nietzsche's 'beyond good and evil'. For, the admirability of at least some extraordinary deeds is a function not of some general norm, but of the perceived capacities of the performer, e. g. rescuing a potential drowner is more praiseworthy of a mediocre swimmer, than it is of an average or expert swimmer. In other words, the primary locus of such evaluation is personal Will, i. e. the extent to which one exerts oneself, with respect to which some social norm is extrinsic, if not irrelevant. Hence, just as Nietzsche's 'beyond good and evil' is, more accurately, 'beyond good-and-evil morality', 'beyond the call of duty' is, more accurately, 'beyond the morality of impersonal duty'.