Maxim Tester
Take Kant's own examples step by step through the test of the categorical imperative.
Maxim
The subjective principle of action — the personal rule on which someone actually acts.
Every action, for Kant, follows a maxim whether we articulate it or not (“when short of money, I borrow and promise to repay …”). What is morally tested is not the single deed but this underlying rule: the categorical imperative asks whether the maxim can be conceived and willed as a universal law.
Try it yourself
Your own maxim
Test a rule from your everyday life with Kant's questions — including the formula of humanity.
Flashcards
Review the concept with the Leitner flashcards — what you know comes back less often.
Where it appears
- Aesthetics — The purposiveness of nature
- Ethics — From duty — not merely in conformity with duty
- Peace & Politics — Peace out of self-interest
- Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View — Structure & key ideas
- The Metaphysics of Morals — Structure & core theses
- Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals — Structure & key ideas
- Critique of Practical Reason — Structure & core ideas
- FAQ
- Doing
- Teaching — 2 · The categorical imperative, duty and inclination
Source: Wikipedia: Maxim