how do you define the practical categorical imperative and the formal categorical imperative?

Question

by immanuel kant

Answer 1

Kant was a big fan of what he called the 'categorical imperative'. The categorical imperitive works like this: something is moral if it makes sense as a universal law that will always be followed by everyone in the future. This is pretty much the formal definition.

So we can see there are lots of things the formal categorical imperitive would prohibit. Universally applying murder or theft leaves everyone bereft of life or property... those aren't going to work. Some slightly more ambiguous situations are prohibited too - you can't borrow money with no intention of giving it back because this results in either nobody ever lending money out or everyone made just as much a pauper as under the thief rule.

Yet there are still many things that Kant thinks are wrong which are completely permissible according to a formal interpretation of the categorical imperitive. This is why Kant had to elaborate on a practical version of the categorical imperitive. In the practical version, you consider not only the universalization of the act you're performing, but also of the act's effects.

For example, suicide could be allowed in the formal interpretation if your life appears to hold nothing but misery in the future. Indeed, by formal reasoning forcing the most miserable people to live as long as possble would be considered atrocious! In this case, Kant suggests that one of the practical concerns might be that suicide prevents a person from living up to their potential, and since universally having everyone waste their talents is formally a bad thing, then suicide is practically a bad thing.

Another example of the practical trumping the formal is charity. Arguably, there is no formal reason why a rich person MUST give to the less fortunate where his budget allows it. If nobody was charitable but only traded service for service, the world would not fall apart. Here Kant argues that there is no practical way to assure that you might not need such charity in the future, and likewise society benefits as a whole if other people can use their talents to the best of their abilities too. So again practical considerations favor universal benevolence rather than universal miserliness.

So, in summary, the FORMAL definition of the categorical imperative might be something like, "Something is moral to do if it would be beneficial if everyone in the universe did it." And the PRACTICAL definition would be more like, "...and, in addition, if any of the necessary consequences of that act are also benefical if universalized."

Hope that helps! Answering questions truthfully and as well as you can is certainly obeying the formal categorical imperative! ( :

Answer 2

practical is more on a earthly basis...doing things for practicality and survival...whereas formal is more for show....rather than for survival

Answer 3

HAHAHA...are you asking this for a homework assignment? That's beautiful.

Answer 4

Want and desire