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What is the categorical imperative?
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What is categorical imperative ethics?
Learn what the Categorical Imperative is, how to use it, and why it matters. See examples of actions that align or conflict with this moral compass that applies to all thinking beings.
May 24, 2024 · categorical imperative, in the ethics of the 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, founder of critical philosophy, a rule of conduct that is unconditional or absolute for all agents, the validity or claim of which does not depend on any desire or end. “Thou shalt not steal,” for example, is categorical, as distinct from the ...
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- Deception. According to Kant, lying and deception are, under all circumstances, forbidden. This is because if lying were to become a universal action, the concept of trust would no longer exist.
- Theft. The maxim “it is permissible to steal” could never become a universal law because that would involve a logical contradiction. The concept of stealing presupposes private property, but if stealing was everywhere and always permissible, private property would not exist.
- Suicide. In the Groundwork, Kant discusses the example of a man reduced to despair by a series of misfortunes who is considering taking his own life (Kant, 1785/1993, p. 30).
- Breaking Promises. Another example Kant discusses in Groundwork is about a man who wants to borrow money, knowing well that he will never pay it back.
The categorical imperative (German: kategorischer Imperativ) is the central philosophical concept in the deontological moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Introduced in Kant's 1785 Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, it is a way of evaluating motivations for action.
Learn what the Categorical Imperative is, how it guides us to act fairly and kindly, and see some examples of it in action. This philosophy, created by Immanuel Kant, helps us think about the universal and collective impact of our choices.
Feb 23, 2004 · 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.”).
Learn how Kant's Categorical Imperative, a principle of morality, can be applied to four cases: suicide, lying, self-development, and charity. See how Kant tests the maxim of each action against the universal law of nature and finds its consistency or inconsistency.
