Categorical Imperative

Kant’s name for the expression of reason’s supreme moral principle; it commands under all circumstances to either do, or not do, something. It is an ethical directive based on the perspective of pure reason alone (rather than contingent on personal circumstances). According to Kant, to act in accordance with a categorical imperative is to act only according to maxims that can be consistently willed as universal laws—for instance, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.