The categorical imperative is the central concept of Immanuel Kant's deontological moral philosophy, introduced in his 1785 Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals as a way of evaluating the motivations behind an action. It is best known in Kant's own formulation: act only according to that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. Kant distinguished it from a hypothetical imperative, which commands an action only conditionally on some further end a person wishes to attain, arguing that hypothetical imperatives rely too heavily on subjective considerations to ground genuine moral obligation. The categorical imperative, by contrast, commands unconditionally and is meant to be binding in all circumstances, forming the basis of Kant's deontological alternative to such conditional systems.
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1. Categorical Imperative (Wikipedia)
WikipediaCategorical Imperative (Wikipedia), introduction
The categorical imperative... is the central philosophical concept in the deontological moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant.
Categorical Imperative (Wikipedia), on the 1785 Groundwork
Introduced in Kants 1785 Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, it is a way of evaluating motivations for action.
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