Judged: two independent readers; copy check clear.
categorical imperative
categorical imperative In this historical ethics sense, a categorical imperative is a moral law that allows no conditions or exceptions, unlike a hypothetical imperative, which applies only in relation to some further goal.
In this historical ethics sense, a categorical imperative is a moral law that allows no conditions or exceptions, unlike a hypothetical imperative, which applies only in relation to some further goal. In Kant’s use, it expresses a universal moral requirement: one should act only on a principle that could be willed as a universal law, while treating humanity as an end and not merely as a means.