Overview of the Moral Law of the Categorical Imperative
Categorical imperative means a command to perform actions that are absolute moral rules that do not consider consequences. According to Kant, this meant that moral statements could only be known through reason, because they are a priori and so there must be a method to work out if a statement is true or false. This helps us know what our duty is and is applied universally.
The categorical imperative is a moral absolute. It is expressed in three distinct formulations. In the first formulation, Kant is giving content to morality, defining what is right and wrong. He describes it as a 'compass' that we can use to distinguish between right and wrong. He suggests that we should 'act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law'. He said that an act is wrong if its maxim cannot be willed (by others and yourself) into becoming universal law. Whatever can be universally agreed to is what is right or wrong without contradiction.
The second formulation suggests that we should treat other rational beings as ends in themselves, never as a means to an end. He is saying that the identity of a person is tied to the rationality of their actions, not their ego. A person's rationality is definitive of what we are made up of, our absolute worth.
Kant's third and final formulation of the categorical imperative is the principle of autonomy-the autonomy of will. It outlines that every rational being is able to reason through to the necessary conclusions to act morally, as a 'maker of laws in the kingdom of ends' This principle of autonomy allows the first formulation of the categorical imperative to make sense.
In contrast to this there is the hypothetical imperative, which means an action that achieves some goal or end. It is subjective and conditional as it suggests if I wanted to buy clothes I should find a job when the categorical imperative would suggest I should get a job anyway as it is the right thing to do regardless of what I need the money for. The hypothetical imperative is seen as not moral because of this.
In conclusion, categorical imperatives are a moral law that is unconditional or deontological for all cases, the validity or claim of which does not depend on any ulterior motive or end. 'Thou shalt not steal,' for example, is categorical as distinct from the hypothetical imperatives associated with desire, such as 'Do not steal if you want to be popular.' For Kant there was only one such categorical imperative, which he formulated in various ways. The hypothetical imperative is always immoral and Kant justifies this by claiming we should do the right thing regardless of the outcome.
