What is the Difference Between Hypothetical and Categorical Imperative

The main difference between hypothetical and categorical imperative is that hypothetical imperatives are moral commands that are conditional on personal desire or motive while categorical imperatives are commands you must follow, regardless of your desires and motives.

Hypothetical imperative and categorical imperative are two philosophical concepts originally introduced through the writings of Immanuel Kant. According to Kant, it is possible to sum up morality in an imperative or an ultimate commandment of reason. It is from this imperative that all duties and obligations derive.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Hypothetical Imperative
     – Definition, Features
2. What is Categorical Imperative
     – Definition, Features, Formulations
3. What is the Difference Between Hypothetical and Categorical Imperative
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Categorical Imperative, Hypothetical Imperative, Kant, Morality

What is Hypothetical Imperative?

Hypothetical imperative is a moral command that is conditional on personal desire or motive. In other words, a hypothetical imperative is a command you should follow if you want something. They tell us how to act in order to achieve a specific goal. For example, if you want to get a good grade, you should study; similarly, if you want to earn money, you should get a job. Moreover, hypothetical imperatives are imperatives based on desire or inclination, and their commandment of reason applies only conditionally. Although hypothetical imperatives tell us which means best achieve our ends, they do not tell us which ends we should choose. Furthermore, Kant divides hypothetical imperatives into two categories as the rules of skill and the counsels of prudence.

Figure 1: Immanuel Kant

What is Categorical Imperative?

Categorical imperatives are commands you must follow, regardless of your desires and motives. Moreover, these are moral obligations derived from pure reason. According to Kant, categorical imperative can be understood in terms of different formulations; basically, there are three main formulations for the categorical imperative:

The First Formulation: The Formula of Universality and Law of Nature

“Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will a universal law of nature.”

The Second Formulation: The Formula of Humanity

“Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.

The Third Formulation: The Formula of Autonomy

“So act that your will can regard itself at the same time as making universal law through its maxims.”

Difference Between Hypothetical and Categorical Imperative

Definition

Hypothetical imperatives are moral commands that are conditional on personal desire or motive while categorical imperatives are commands you must follow irrespective of your desires and motives.

Clarification

Basically, a hypothetical imperative is a command you should follow if you want something; thus, it tells you how to achieve a specific goal. A categorical imperative, on the other hand, is an absolute moral obligation derived from pure reason.

Basis

While hypothetical imperative is an imperative based on desire or inclination, categorical imperative is an imperative based on reason alone.

Nature

Categorical imperatives are universal or absolute while hyp,othetical imperatives are not absolute or universal.

Goal

Moreover, hypothetical imperatives teach us how to reach a specific goal while categorical imperatives help us to evaluate our moral actions and to make moral judgments.

Conclusion

Hypothetical imperative and categorical imperative are two philosophical concepts originally introduced through the writings of Immanuel Kant. The main difference between hypothetical and categorical imperative is that hypothetical imperatives are moral commands that are conditional on personal desire or motive while categorical imperatives are commands you must follow, regardless of your desires and motives.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Hypothetical Imperative.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Oct. 2019, Available here.
2. Pecorino, Philip A. Categorical Imperative. Queensborough Community College, Available here.
3. “Kant & Categorical Imperatives: Crash Course Philosophy #35.” YouTube, CrashCourse, 16 Nov. 2016, Available here.
4. “Categorical Imperative.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Oct. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Kant gemaelde 3” By Johann Gottlieb Becker (1720-1782) – ( Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia