Hypothetical And Categorical Imperatives

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July 10, 2020

Hypothetical and Categorical Imperatives

Imperatives are instructions that are used to tell us about how we are supposed to do and

the things that we are supposed to do. Immanuel Kant discussed the imperatives and classified

them into two types, the categorical imperatives, and the hypothetical imperatives. Kant

described each type of the imperatives differently. According to Kant, the hypothetical

imperatives can be characterized as the instructions that tell one the things that he or she is

supposed to do so that he or she can successfully achieve the goals that he or she has set. For

instance, if one needs to have a good phone, he or she needs to have enough money for the

phone, and he or she needs to get a job that will allow him or her to earn money to buy the

phone. If one does not want to get to prison, then he or she needs to desist from getting involved

in criminal activities. The hypothetical imperatives are only applied to people with some specific

and set goals that they need to achieve. One has to refer to some particular purpose before

making applying the imperatives to accomplish the goal. For instance, looking forward to

purchasing a new phone is a goal that one can refer to, the imperatives including looking for

money to buy the phone and looking for a job to get the money that is required.

According to the argument that was presented by Kant, morality does not work in the

way the hypothetical imperatives work. Morality does not tell us what we need to do so that we

can successfully achieve a specific goal. For instance, morality cannot tell us what we need to do

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so that we can be well-liked by other people. For this reason, the principle of morality consists

the imperatives that are categorical.

Kant also describes the categorical imperatives. According to his description, the

categorical imperatives tell an individual what he or she needs to do, but unlike the hypothetical

imperatives, they do not refer to the goals that have been set. The categorical imperatives do not

take care of the desires of people, the instructions that are offered under this category are meant

to instruct people to do what is right. For instance, whether one needs to go to prison, he or she

needs not to steal cars. The desires of a person are not taken into consideration when the

instructions are being offered.

Imperatives that are hypothetical are inclined towards the desire of a person. It means that

one has to do something that is practically necessary so that he or she can achieve the thing that

he or she is willing to meet. As described by Kant, the hypothetical imperative develops a

formula that stands for the command of a reason which will represent a principle for a particular

objective. The instructions or commands that are offered under this hypothetical imperative are

enacted for a particular reason. There has to be a reason for some controls to be implemented.

Although these commands or actions might lead to good deeds or have the ability to produce

right, it has to be noted that the desires of an individual only motivate them. One has to refer to a

particular goal before he or she can execute the commands. Many people act with reason; this

means that they work or engage in some activities so that they can achieve some success or some

goal that has been set.

Kant further provides a different classification for the hypothetical imperatives. The

counsels of prudence and the rules of skill. According to Kant, the rules of skills are somehow

conditional, and they are specific to particular individuals and the skills that the person

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possesses. The imperatives under this category can be described as the ends that we usually set

for ourselves, and there is also a framework that is given which shows us how we can work to

achieve the ends. People that are willing for a particular ending are said to work with reason so

that they achieve what they will. Because each human being has different desires, wills,

perspectives and personal circumstances, people have different methods through which they can

work to achieve their ends. This means that people can apply different instructions in a bid to

achieve their goals, it also shows that human beings have different needs and different

perspectives on the way of life. It is because of this that human beings have different imperatives

that show them the way they can achieve the goals or ends that they have already set. Even with

this, Kant observes that the ends of the human beings are all focused towards a universal end,

and in most cases, the universal end is happiness.

Counsels of prudence is another category of hypothetical imperatives that is described by

Kant. Unlike the rules of skills that are obtained through some experience or posteriori, the

counsels of prudence are attained through priori and only focuses on goals that are universal for

instance, happiness. Counsels of prudence can be described as the actions that are done in a way

to ensure that good is achieved, they are done because of the sake of goodwill and to also allow

the who society to be happy. Individuals perform this actions while they have the best intentions

with them. Such hypothetical imperatives that are done with good intentions can be said to

moral; they are made to ensure that one achieves ultimate good at the end.

Kant notes that the hypothetical imperative has some limitations. For instance, he states

that there is a potential ambiguity in the different means that people use to achieve their ends and

that the means are susceptible to misuse or corruption. The hypothetical imperatives are also

impacted in a way that they can only be an investment of an individual person; this means that if

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one does not find a reason to do something, he or she has no obligation to do act in any way. One

has to find a reason to do something before he or she can act and the emphasis has to be on the

personal desires and not on the good of others.

On the other hand, Kant describes the categorical imperatives as the absolute and

requirements that are unconditional and that needs to be obeyed in all the possible circumstances.

The categorical imperative is considered as an end by itself. Its first formulation best describes

the categorical imperative. It states that one can only act according to a maxim that he or she can,

similarly, the will needs to be developed into a universal law. As he described the first

formulation, Kant expressed the dissatisfaction that he had with the existing moral philosophy

which used to express that there is no way hypothetical imperatives can be surpassed. For

instance, the theory of utilitarianism states that murder is wrong simply because it does not

maximize good for those people who are involved but it becomes irrelevant to people who want

to maximize the outcomes that are good for themselves. Such philosophies and hypothetical

imperatives rely on the on the subjective considerations of people instead of taking care of the

morals of the society. The alternative that was presented by Kant to describe morals was the

deontological moral system. This alternative is based on the demands and the needs of the

categorical imperative.

From the first formulation which in some cases referred to as the formula of universality

and the law that governs nature, Kant comes into a conclusion that the proposition which is said

to be moral has to be free from any form of conditions. This means that if a moral proposition is

said to be true, there should not be any form of conditions that are tied to the proposition. This

means that the proposition should not even be tied to the identity of the person who is making the

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proposition. A moral maxim needs to have the necessity that is absolute; this means that it should

not be tied to any specific details that surround the proposition.

Disconnecting the imperative from all the details that surround it makes it possible for the

first formulation of the categorical imperatives. In some cases, this is referred to as the

universalizability principle. The first formulation states that "Act only according to that maxim

whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." It means that one

has to act only to a maxim in which he or she can will at the same time and it has to transform

into the universal law. The first law has a close connection with the law of nature. The

connection between the first formulation and the rule of nature is created because both the first

formulation and the law of nature are both universal laws.

The categorical imperatives can also be stated as acting because the maxims of the

actions that you do are to become as your will and universal law of nature. Through this

formulation of the categorical imperatives, Kant provides two subcategories of the duties. He

states that there are two categories of responsibility, the duties that we have to do for ourselves

and the duties that we have to do for the sake of other people. For instance, the example that is

given by Kant in this to explain these categorical imperatives. He states that one has the duty not

to kill himself or herself. One also has the obligation not to kill others. This means that before

one does something, he or she has to consider the impacts that will be caused both by himself or

herself and to other people.

The moral character of actions is formulated from the first formulation which states that

people need to act in a way that the maxim will become a universal law or a natural law. The

universal law is a law which when applied the ends are similar both to the person doing the act

and to others in the society.

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