Kantian
Duty over consequences
Kantian refers to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant or ideas derived from it.
Kant's 18th-century work emphasized that moral duty stems from reason rather than consequences—an action is right because it follows universal principles, not because it produces good outcomes.
Kantian ethics demands we treat people as ends, never merely as means.
The term appears in philosophy, ethics, and intellectual history: a Kantian approach to human rights.
Unconditional ethical obligation
- deontologyMorality based on obligations
- dutyRequired moral task
- good willBenevolent intent toward others
- moral lawCode of right conduct
practical reason · autonomy · maxim · moral worth · imperatives · ends in themselves · obligation · principle
Exceptionally impressive or unusual
- transcendentalBeyond ordinary experience
- antinomiesSelf-contradicting rational conclusions
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- causalityCause-effect connection
substance · God · immortality · soul · cosmological · teleological · unconditioned
Reality independent of observation
- phenomenaObservable facts or events
- a prioriIndependent of experience
- synthetic a prioriNecessary truths that expand knowledge
- analyticExamining by decomposition
categories · intuition · sensibility · understanding · antinomies · Copernican Revolution · schema · apperception
Independent decision-making capacity
- reasonBasis or justification
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- progressMovement toward improvement
- maturityFull growth achieved
self-determination · cosmopolitanism · tutelage · freedom of thought · human dignity · moral progress · republicanism
Awe-inspiring greatness
- beautifulExtremely pleasing aesthetically
- purposivenessGoal-oriented quality
- tasteFlavor perception ability
- geniusPerson of rare brilliance
aesthetic judgment · free play · imagination · fine art · natural beauty
categorical imperative
Unconditional ethical obligation
- deontologyMorality based on obligations
- dutyRequired moral task
- good willBenevolent intent toward others
moral law · practical reason · autonomy · maxim · moral worth · imperatives · ends in themselves · obligation · principle · dignity
phenomenal
Exceptionally impressive or unusual
- transcendentalBeyond ordinary experience
- antinomiesSelf-contradicting rational conclusions
- freedomAbsence of constraint
causality · substance · God · immortality · soul · cosmological · teleological · unconditioned
noumena
Reality independent of observation
- phenomenaObservable facts or events
- a prioriIndependent of experience
- synthetic a prioriNecessary truths that expand knowledge
analytic · categories · intuition · sensibility · understanding · antinomies · Copernican Revolution · schema · apperception · thing-in-itself
autonomy
Independent decision-making capacity
- reasonBasis or justification
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- progressMovement toward improvement
maturity · self-determination · cosmopolitanism · tutelage · freedom of thought · human dignity · moral progress · republicanism
sublime
Awe-inspiring greatness
- beautifulExtremely pleasing aesthetically
- purposivenessGoal-oriented quality
- tasteFlavor perception ability
genius · aesthetic judgment · free play · imagination · fine art · natural beauty
- thinkersthinkers, thinker, philosophers, philosopher, Aristotle
- philosophyethics, logic, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology
- philosophical termsSocratic, Cartesian, Aristotelian, dialectical, dialectic
- Kantcategorical imperative, a priori, thing-in-itself, noumena, phenomena
Kantianutilitarian
Prioritizing function over beauty
consequentialist · teleological · pragmatist · Machiavellian · instrumentalist