Full Idea
In modern moral thinking, obligation is something every responsible person is supposed to have, but it is not an obligation to the state, or society, or humanity, or even to God. It is an obligation standing by itself.
Gist of Idea
The modern idea of obligation seems to have lost the idea of an obligation 'to' something
Source
Richard Taylor (Virtue Ethics: an Introduction [2002], Ch.12)
Book Reference
Taylor,Richard: 'Virtue Ethics: an Introduction' [Prometheus 2002], p.83
A Reaction
This nicely pinpoints how some our moral attitudes are relics of religion. Taylor wants a return to virtue, but one could respond by opting for the social contract (with very clear obligations) or Kantian 'contractualism' (answering to rational beings).