categorical imperative
noun
Ethics.
the rule of Immanuel Kant that one must do only what one can will that all others should do under similar circumstances.
the unconditional command of conscience.
Origin of categorical imperative
First recorded in 1820–30
Words nearby categorical imperative
categorematic,
categorial,
categorial grammar,
categoric contact,
categorical,
categorical imperative,
categorize,
category,
category a,
category d,
category killer
British Dictionary definitions for categorical imperative
categorical imperative
noun
(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