Formula of Universal Law

E84437
Kantian principle formulation of the categorical imperative moral principle

The Formula of Universal Law is Kant’s central moral principle that requires one to act only on maxims that can be consistently willed as universal laws for everyone.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Kantian principle ⓘ
formulation of the categorical imperative ⓘ
moral principle ⓘ
aimsAt eliminating self-exception in moral reasoning ⓘ
establishing objective moral law ⓘ
appliesTo all possible moral actions ⓘ
all rational agents ⓘ
associatedWith Prussia ⓘ
surface form: Kingdom of Prussia
author Immanuel Kant ⓘ
basedOn autonomy of the will ⓘ
practical reason ⓘ
contrastsWith consequentialist ethics ⓘ
moral relativism ⓘ
coreIdea act only on that maxim which you can at the same time will to be a universal law ⓘ
moral permissibility depends on universalizability of maxims ⓘ
critiquedBy Immanuel Kant ⓘ
surface form: Hegel

John Stuart Mill NERFINISHED ⓘ
critiquedFor alleged emptiness or formalism ⓘ
dependence on description of maxims ⓘ
exampleApplication duty not to commit suicide from self-love ⓘ
duty not to make false promises ⓘ
duty to develop one’s talents ⓘ
duty to help others in need ⓘ
hasComponent contradiction in conception test ⓘ
contradiction in will test ⓘ
hasFormulation act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law ⓘ
influenced contemporary discussions of universalizability ⓘ
modern deontological theories ⓘ
languageOfOriginalStatement German ⓘ
partOf categorical imperative ⓘ
philosophicalDiscipline ethics ⓘ
moral philosophy ⓘ
philosophicalTradition German idealism ⓘ
deontological ethics ⓘ
region Prussia ⓘ
relatedConcept autonomy ⓘ
duty ⓘ
good will ⓘ
maxim ⓘ
moral law ⓘ
universal law ⓘ
requires consistency of willing a maxim as universal law ⓘ
testing maxims for universalizability ⓘ
statedIn Critique of Practical Reason ⓘ
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals ⓘ
timePeriod 18th century ⓘ
usedFor deriving imperfect duties ⓘ
deriving perfect duties ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

categorical imperative → hasFormulation → Formula of Universal Law ⓘ
Formula of Autonomy → relatedTo → Formula of Universal Law ⓘ
Formula of Humanity → relatedTo → Formula of Universal Law ⓘ