The universal law of nature formulation of the categorical imperative.

摘要

In the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals , Kant gives several formulations of the categorical imperative, one being the universal law of nature formulation. One question that can be raised is why Kant formulates the categorical imperative in terms of universal laws of nature at all. In this paper, I will argue that it is necessary for Kant to formulate the categorical imperative in terms of universal laws of nature in order to demonstrate the applicability of the moral law to our maxims and hence the possibility of the moral law as a functional practical principle.