MENTAL MODEL · M3206

Categorical Imperative

DecideHigh supportDecision Science

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

The supreme standard for judging whether an action is moral: "Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law." That is: If everyone in the world did what you are doing, would the world collapse? If so, it is immoral. - Scaffolding role: a crusher of double standards. It can be used to detect "privileged thinking." For example, "cutting in line": if everyone cut in line, the line would not exist, so cutting in line is immoral. "Lying": if everyone lied, language would become ineffective. When making decisions, ask yourself: "Can I accept this behavior being universalized?" If not,

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

A crusher of double standards. It can be used to detect "privileged thinking." For example, "cutting in line": if everyone cut in line, the line would not exist, so cutting in line is immoral. "Lying": if everyone lied, language would become ineffective. When making decisions, ask yourself: "Can I accept this behavior being universalized?" If not,

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The categorical imperative is the core principle of Kantian ethics: the morality of an action depends on whether its maxim can be universalized into a legislative principle. Its mechanism is the "universalization test"—if an action, when performed by everyone, leads to a contradiction in the maxim itself or the collapse of social mechanisms (such as lying rendering language ineffective), then it is immoral. It excludes judgment based on consequences or self-interest, emphasizing the universal consistency of motive and law.

MINIMUM ACTION

In progress 0/5

Practice this model in one real situation:

Extract the "maxim" of what you intend to do (e.g., "lie for profit")
imagine it becoming a universal law that everyone follows
test whether it is self-contradictory or undermines the conditions on which the action depends
if it collapses, it is forbidden
if it can be universalized, it is permitted.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

account_treeGenealogyexpand_more

menu_bookReferencesexpand_more

Source support: Explicit

link
en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperativeZH · Explicit
verified

RELATED MODELS