The central principle of Kantian ethics. According the the so-called "Universal Law Formulation" of the principle (Kant presented other formulations), the Categorical Imperative reads "Act only on that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." Cf. maxim
is the necessary and absolute moral law believed to be the ultimate rational foundation for all moral conduct. "So act that you can will the maxim (principle) of your action to be an universal law binding upon the will of every other rational person." Categorical imperatives are absolutely binding.
This is a philosopical term Kant made up. It has something to do with ethics. It's one of those things that somebody'll mention in philosophy classes but I don't really understand because I haven't had a class in ethics yet. It's a very imposing term, however, and it certainly sounds very confusing. Mentioning categorical imperatives is great fun at parties, especially when you want somebody to leave you alone. You just have to hope that they don't ask you what it means.
the moral principle that behavior should be determined by duty
a command which expresses a general, unavoidable requirement of the moral law. Its three forms express the requirements of universalizability, respect and autonomy. Together they establish that an action is properly called 'morally good' only if (1) we can will all persons to do it, (2) it enables us to treat other persons as ends and not merely as the means to our own selfish ends, and (3) it allows us to see other persons as mutual law-makers in an ideal 'realm of ends'.
in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), a moral law or command not dependent on any conditions; a rule enjoining us to act so that we could will our act as a universal maxim.
An unconditional command which, for Kant, told us our duty by pointing to actions which were good in themselves, and in the pursuit of the summum bonum (supreme good). For Kant this included his universalizability maxim "Always act in such a way that the maxim of your action can be willed as a universal law."
An unconditional command. For Immanuel Kant, all of morality depended on a single categorical imperative. One version of that imperative was, "Always act in such a way that the maxim of your action can be willed as a universal law."
is Immanuel Kant's (1724-1804) famous term for an unconditional moral command in contrast to a conditional one that depends on an "if." This categorical duty refers to what ought to be and was expressed by Kant in three different but interrelated ways. First, the Principle of Universality states: "Act only on that maxim (rule) whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law." The second is the Principle of Treating Humanity as Ends in Themselves: "So act as to treat humanity, whether in thine own person or in that of any other, in every case as an end withal, never as means only." The third formulation of the categorical imperative is the Principle of Moral Autonomy: Kant said that although a rational person of good will "is only under obligation to act in conformity with his own will," it is "a will which by the purpose of nature prescribes universal laws."
The categorical imperative is the central philosophical concept of the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant, and to modern deontological ethics. Kant introduced this concept in Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals. Here, the categorical imperative is outlined according to the arguments found in his work.