hypothetical imperative

in the moral teaching of Immanuel Kant, a maxim of the type “If you would achieve end X, take action Y.” Such maxims of skill or prudence differ from the categorical imperative of morality in that (a) they are aimed at particular material ends rather than absolute and unconditional ends and (b) they cannot be defended as a universal and transituational law. See also universalizability.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

profile of a disorder

a drawn or mechanically generated outline, often a graph, representing the symptoms and characteristics of a disorder.