[Revised entry by Robert Johnson and Adam Cureton on October 2, 2025.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) argued that the supreme principle of morality is a principle of rationality that he dubbed the “Categorical Imperative” (CI). In Kant’s view, the CI is an objective, rationally necessary and unconditional principle that all rational agents must follow despite any desires they may have to the contrary. He of course thought that we, though imperfect, are all rational agents. So he argued that all of our own specific moral requirements are justified by this principle. If he is right, that…

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