The categorical imperative (German: kategorischer Imperativ) is the central philosophical concept in the deontological moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant.Introduced in Kant's 1785 Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, it may be defined as a way of evaluating motivations for action.
The categorical imperative (German: kategorischer Imperativ) is the central philosophical concept in the deontological moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Introduced in Kant's 1785 Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, it may be defined as a way of evaluating motivations for action. A categorical imperative, on the other hand, denotes an absolute, unconditional requirement that must be obeyed in all circumstances and is justified as an end in itself. Kant s theory is an example of a deontological moral theory according to these theories, the rightness or wrongness of actions does not depend on their consequences but on whether they fulfill our duty. Kant believed that there was a supreme principle of morality, and he referred to it as The Categorical Imperative.  Kant holds that the fundamental principle of our moral duties is a categorical imperative. It is an imperative because it is a command (e.g., “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.”) More precisely, it commands us to exercise our wills in a particular way, not to perform some action or other. Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) argued that moral requirements are based on a standard of rationality he dubbed the “Categorical Imperative” (CI). Immorality thus involves a violation of the CI and is thereby irrational. categorical imperative. n. 1. (Philosophy) (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. n. Definition of CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE. : a moral obligation or command that is unconditionally and universally binding. ADVERTISEMENT.  Section III. The form of imperative contrasting with hypothetical imperatives is the categorical imperative. This type of imperative purports to be true, or as is sometimes said, valid, apart from any presupposed end or purpose to be achieved by acting as it commands. Synthetic a priori. Kant claims that the categorical imperative is a synthetic a priori proposition. This means in part that we can know the categorical imperative that one ought to act only on maxims we can will to become universal laws independently of experience or any sensory observations. Report Abuse. Categorical Imperative it is a Kantian moral law: according to the moral philosophy of Immanuel Kant, an unconditional moral law applying to all rational beings and independent of all personal desires and motives .... Microsoft® Encarta® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation.  Kant & amp; Moral Imperatives : The notion of imperative is central to Kant ’s philosophy, and particularly Kant ’s ethics. In Kant ’s thought, the representation of a principle as a binding commitment is called a command and the formula of the command is called an imperative. The imperatives are expressed by the verb have to (sollen). More on the Moral Law: Formulations of The Categorical Imperative. The Categorical Imperative: Kant's term for the Moral Law.. By this phrase he implies that it is an obligation binding of all moral agents without exception. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative http://www.csus.edu/indiv/g/gaskilld/ethics/kantian%20ethics.htm http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/ http://www.thefreedictionary.com/categorical+imperative http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/categorical%20imperative http://myweb.ecu.edu/mccartyr/GW/CategoricalImperative.asp https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071028192452AALb4NQ http://www.the-philosophy.com/kant-categorical-imperative http://www2.fiu.edu/~harrisk/Notes/Ethics/KANT.htm
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