Explain The Difference Between Hypothetical And Categorical Imperatives

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(a): Explain the difference between hypothetical and categorical imperatives (25 marks)

Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) believed that an objective moral code for right and wrong existed. He devised an ethical theory, aptly called Kantian Ethics, which is a deontological theory of ethics. This is due to it being based on the actions that people carry out, not any good or bad consequences that may or may not arise from the situation. Kant was also highly distrustful of experience and seemingly “empirical” knowledge that came from our senses as this was, in Kantian terms, from the phenomenal world, thus meaning that it is subjective to our sense, and to gain true objectivity, we needed to gain knowledge of a world that our minds have no direct access to; the noumenal world, or the real world. As we do not have direct access to this, we must use something that everyone has access to: reason. Kantian ethics is, therefore, also a priori.

Kant believed that there were two types of commands, or imperatives: hypothetical and categorical. A hypothetical imperative is a conditional command; If you want to achieve X, you must do Y. For example, in order to achieve trust from society, I ought to tell the truth. A hypothetical imperative would only apply to some people; it would only apply to those who would like to achieve Y, in this particular case, trust from society. A categorical imperative is quite the opposite: these types of commands apply to all people, everywhere and at all times and cultures. This is an unconditional command: I must do Y only for the sake of doing Y (or doing my duty, as Kant would put it). Taking the previous example, a categorical imperative would be as follows: I ought to tell the truth, simply because it is my duty to do so. Kant believed that morality was based on a set of commands, or imperatives. He felt that as morality applied to everyone at all times, places, societies, and so on, the commands cannot be hypothetical. Morality must, therefore, be a specific set of categorical imperatives. Kant also believed that an action must not only be done that is good, but it also has to be done for the sake of doing it, not as a means to an end.

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However, although both the hypothetical and categorical imperative are commands, they have very little in common besides this. In fact, they are very, very different. The categorical imperative is a conditional command which is willed as an end in itself. A hypothetical imperative, on the other hand, is a conditional command that is willed as a means to an end. A hypothetical good is an instrumental good, whereas a categorical imperative is an intrinsic good, something which is good in itself. In terms of reason, something which Kant believed was of upmost importance, the commands also vary greatly. A ...

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