Kant's Categorical Imperative: Moral Law and Duty

Categorical Imperative: Maxims and Practical Laws

The difference between maxims and practical laws is fundamental to Kantian ethics.

Maxims (Subjective Principles)

Maxims are all the rules that govern the conduct of an individual, but are valid only for that individual. They are subjective principles of action.

Practical Laws (Objective Principles)

Practical laws are objective action goals, or imperatives, that express the objective necessity of the action required. The imperatives function because they show what everyone should do.

Why Imperatives Govern the Will

While man is a rational being, reason is not the only factor that determines the will. The will can also be determined by inclinations, desires, and needs. Since people do not always act rationally, the will must be governed by imperatives dictated by reason.

Hypothetical Imperatives: Conditional Commands

Hypothetical imperatives determine the will in terms of a desired end; they are precepts of skill or prudence. They state that an action is good as a means to something else.

• Example: One should work and save in youth to avoid starving in old age.

This provision arises from prudence but cannot be required equally of all men. It follows that this imperative is conditional on the capacity and circumstances of each subject.

The Categorical Imperative: Absolute Moral Law

Categorical imperatives command one to act in a manner necessary for all men equally, regardless of their subjective goals and always in that way, regardless of any circumstance. Therefore, only these are true practical laws.

Kant states that the moral law is "an imperative which commands categorically, because the law is absolute. The relationship of the will with this law is dependence under the name of obligation, which means an imposition for an action called duty."

The Formula of Universal Law

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

This law does not state that you must do this or that specific action, but retains only the pure form of the law. Put very simply, what applies to one person must apply to everyone in the same situation. This is the Categorical Imperative, the only moral law, the absolute principle and foundation of morality, because it is a universal objective principle.

Duty and the Good Will

The action performed out of respect for the law is duty, and complying with this duty is the condition of a will good in itself. When asked how to act, the answer is: I test my maxim, the subjective principle that guides my actions, to see if it can enforce a universal law for all rational beings.