categorical imperative
Kant's ethical command
A categorical imperative is an unconditional moral obligation—something you must do regardless of your desires or circumstances.
The term comes from Kant's ethics, where it names the supreme principle of morality: act only according to rules you could will to be universal laws.
Telling the truth is a categorical imperative, not a matter of convenience.
Contrast with hypothetical imperatives, which depend on wanting something: "If you want X, do Y."
Morality based on obligations
- maximBrief moral principle
- moral lawCode of right conduct
- practical reasonFaculty directing moral action
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
good will · rational beings · a priori · synthetic a priori · Königsberg · Enlightenment · duty · ends in themselves
Required task or commitment
- moral lawCode of right conduct
- commandAuthoritative instruction given
- necessityIndispensable requirement
- requirementMandatory condition to fulfill
binding · unconditional · respect · obedience · compulsion · mandate · accountability · commitment
Brief moral principle
- universal lawRule applying everywhere always
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- consistencyReliable adherence to standards
- contradictionOpposing claims, incompatible together
exception · universality · binding · unconditional · absolute · prescriptive · normative · legislation
Morality based on obligations
- moral philosophyStudy of right conduct
- consequentialismEthics judging by results
- utilitarianismGreatest-happiness moral theory
- metaethicsPhilosophy examining moral foundations
applied ethics · principles · rightness · wrongness · moral judgment · ethical framework
Sound judgment quality
- practical reasonFaculty directing moral action
- deliberationCareful weighing of choices
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
- logicScience of valid reasoning
inference · autonomy · will · moral reasoning · principles · cognition · intellect · justification
deontology
Morality based on obligations
- maximBrief moral principle
- moral lawCode of right conduct
- practical reasonFaculty directing moral action
autonomy · good will · rational beings · a priori · synthetic a priori · Königsberg · Enlightenment · duty · ends in themselves
obligation
Required task or commitment
- moral lawCode of right conduct
- commandAuthoritative instruction given
- necessityIndispensable requirement
requirement · binding · unconditional · respect · obedience · compulsion · mandate · accountability · commitment · adherence
maxim
Brief moral principle
- universal lawRule applying everywhere always
- generalizationDeriving principles from examples
- consistencyReliable adherence to standards
contradiction · exception · universality · binding · unconditional · absolute · prescriptive · normative · legislation · test
deontology
Morality based on obligations
- moral philosophyStudy of right conduct
- consequentialismEthics judging by results
- utilitarianismGreatest-happiness moral theory
metaethics · applied ethics · principles · rightness · wrongness · moral judgment · ethical framework
rationality
Sound judgment quality
- practical reasonFaculty directing moral action
- deliberationCareful weighing of choices
- judgmentReasoned decision-making capacity
logic · inference · autonomy · will · moral reasoning · principles · cognition · intellect · justification · grounds
categorical imperativeconsequentialism
Ethics judging by results
utilitarianism · moral relativism · cost-benefit analysis · situational ethics · amoralism
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