categorical imperative

American  

noun

1. Ethics. the rule of Immanuel Kant that one must do only what one can will that all others should do under similar circumstances.

2. the unconditional command of conscience.

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categorical imperative British  

noun

1. (in the ethics of Kant) the unconditional moral principle that one's behaviour should accord with universalizable maxims which respect persons as ends in themselves; the obligation to do one's duty for its own sake and not in pursuit of further ends Compare hypothetical imperative

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Etymology

Origin of categorical imperative

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

As explained previously, Kant bases his moral philosophy on the categorical imperative, which helps one recognize moral and immoral actions based on whether they can be turned into a universal maxim that applies to everyone.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

This led him to a thought exercise known as the categorical imperative An action is right only if it is right for all people in all situations.

From Washington Post • Sep. 3, 2021

“Here the categorical imperative applies—would you want everyone else to do what you just did, or would that be bad?”

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2018

Kant introduced the world to the theory of the categorical imperative; Larry, the chat-and-cut.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2017

All the air of the fourteenth floor was sibilant with the categorical imperative.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley