categorical imperative

American  

noun

1. Ethics. the rule of Immanuel Kant that one must do only what one can will that all others should do under similar circumstances.

2. the unconditional command of conscience.

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categorical imperative British  

noun

1. (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

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Etymology

Origin of categorical imperative

First recorded in 1820–30