Hypothetical Imperative Examples

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Immanuel Kant devised two types of imperatives which are categorical and hypothetical. An imperative is a type of command; hypothetical imperative is a type of non-moral command because it is based on wants and is not the supreme rule. For example, “Eating broccoli” is good because it is good for your health in helping you clean your colon and it is scientifically proven that it can reduce the risk of colon cancer. Not everyone will actually eat broccoli even though it is healthy for you because you have a choice whether to do it or not, it is not a duty but a choice. Kant’s principle, “I ought not act, less I should can will my maxim to become universal law,” which is categorical imperative. A maxim is an agent’s intention which in Kant’s …show more content…

You have two options, either tell the truth that your friend is in the house or lie and say he is not there. However, if you say your friend is in the house and you say he is not and the murderer someone manages to find said friend and kill him, then the consequences will be on you and not the murderer. According to Kant, if you lie, you will be at fault for your friend’s death and not the murderer that committed said killing. “For a lie always harms another; if not some other particular man, still it harms mankind generally, for it vitiates the source of law itself” (On A Supposed Right to Lie). If you say the truth that your friend is in the house and the murderer manages to find him and kills him, then it will not be in your consequence because apparently you did the right thing. In my opinion you should be able to tell a lie if the other person’s life is in danger such as this case. If a murderer asked if my friend was in the house, I would not hesitate to lie and say that they are not at home. Categorical imperative is not always the best choice when dealing if you should lie or not. If we make telling the truth at all times a universal law, then he murderer in this situation, would acquire his objective, which is killing your

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