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Question: What's a good way of distinguishing between Kant's imperatives!?
I get confused about what a hypothetical imperative is (a command willed by selfish reasons!?!?) and a categorical imperative (a command willed by unselfish reasons!?)

Please correct me if I'm wrong!.!.!.I'm just beginning my course on Kant :(

ThanksWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I happen to have a good quote of K!. at hand making this very distinction:
"Wenn !.!.!. die Handlung blo? wozu anders als Mittel gut sein würde, so ist der Imperativ HYPOTHETISCH; wird sie als an sich gut vorgestellt, mithin als notwendig in einem an sich der Vernunft gem??en Willen, als Prinzip desselben, so ist er KATEGORISCH!."

My puny attempt at translating Kant's German:
"If!.!.!. the action is good only as a measure for something else, the imperative is HYPOTHETICAL; if it is good in itself, consequently nescessary within a will(or: intent) corresponding to reason("Vernunft"), it is CATEGORICAL!."

afaik,
The categorical imperative is to act as you would apriori!. Apriori means regarding only the action in itself!.
To give an example: a person "A" is randomly shooting other people and you are an armed policeman!. According to the hypothetical imperative your duty is to kill "A" as a measure to stop the shooting!. Your duty according to the categorical imperative is NOT to kill "A", because the action-in-itself "killing" is bad according to your reason!. A true Kantian would instead try to talk with "A"!.

And more Kant:
"Der hypothetische Imperativ sagt also nur, da? die Handlung zu irgendeiner m?glichen oder wirklichen Absicht gut sei!. Im ersteren Falle ist er ein problematisch-, im zweiten assertorisch-praktisches Prinzip!. Der kategorische Imperativ, der die Handlung ohne Beziehung auf irgendeine Absicht, d!. i!. auch ohne irgendeinen anderen Zweck, für sich als objektiv notwendig erkl?rt, gilt als ein apodiktisch-praktisches Prinzip!."
"The hypothetical imperative tells thus only, that the action is good for some hypothetical or real intent!. In the first case it is a problematic-practical, in the second a assertoric-practical principle!. The categorical imperative, that proclaims the action without regards on any intent (that is also without any secondary goal) as objectively nescessessary, is considered an apodictic practical principle!."Www@QuestionHome@Com

Based on the wording of your question you don't sound confused at all!. I have never heard of Kant or his imperatives and admittedly know very little about philosophy but you just taught me something new!. Thank you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com