Dear Reader,

A month ago in this space I addressed the concept of “supererogation.” As I explained: 

Supererogation, per moral philosophers and ethicists, is the performance of an act above what duty calls for; it is good but not morally required; it is worthy of praise, but its non-performance is not a cause for criticism. A supererogatory act is morally optional, but is typically impressive and tends to involve some sacrifice or hardship for the person who performs it.

I went on to say that classic examples of such conduct include “stories of good Samaritans who had no duty to help others in distress but went out of their way to do so.”