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Categorical Imperative

Origins: Immanuel Kant

Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals

“Most of the time, whether or not we ought to do something isn’t really a moral choice—instead, it’s just contingent on our desires.” —Immanuel Kant

Kant holds that the fundamental principle of our moral duties is a categorical imperative. It is an imperative because it is a command addressed to agents who could follow it but might not (e.g. , “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”). It is categorical in virtue of applying to us unconditionally, or simply because we possesses rational wills, without reference to any ends that we might or might not have. It does not, in other words, apply to us on the condition that we have antecedently adopted some goal for ourselves. Kant’s Moral Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

“Act only according to that maximwhereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.”

Commands you must follow, regardless of your desires.

Moral obligations are derived from pure reason.

Proper application of the Categorical Imperative will leads us to moral truth that is fixed and applicable to all moral agents, no God required.

  • Formulation 1: The Universalizability Principle

    • “Act only according to that maxim which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction.”
      • Maxim: Rule or principe of Law
      • Universal Law: Something that must always be done in similar situations
      • What’s the maxim of my action? What is the general rule that stands behind the act?
      • Example: If you steal, then everyone should be able to steal.
      • What Kant is saying: It’s not fair to make exceptions for yourself. You don’t want everyone to steal, so you shouldn’t do it.

  • Formulation 2: The Formula for Humanity

    • “Act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end, and never as a mere means.”
    • ‘Ends-in-Ourselves’
      • Humans are not mere objects, because they are rational and autonomous with an ability to set our own goals and work towards them.
    • ‘End-in-Herself’
      • Treating another person as a human and morally keep this in mind
    • Humans do you use other people as a means for something, but not as a ‘mere means’
    • “Unlike other things in the world, we’re self-governed. We’re able to set our own ends, to make our own free decisions based on our rational wills.”
    • “This imbues us with an absolute moral worth, which means that we shouldn’t be manipulated, or manipulate other autonomous agents for our own benefit.”

  • References