hypothetical imperative

collocation in English

meaningsofhypotheticalandimperative

These words are often used together. Click on the links below to explore the meanings. Or,see other collocations withimperative.
hypothetical
adjective
uk
/ˌhaɪ.pəˈθet.ɪ.kəl/us
/ˌhaɪ.pəˈθet̬.ɪ.kəl/
imagined or suggested but not necessarily real ...
See more athypothetical
imperative
noun
uk
/ɪmˈper.ə.tɪv/us
/ɪmˈper.ə.t̬ɪv/
languagespecialized
the form of a verb that is usually used for ...
See more atimperative

(Definition ofhypotheticalandimperativefrom theCambridge English Dictionary© Cambridge University Press)

Examplesofhypothetical imperative

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
Utilitarianism is ahypotheticalimperative, if one wants, they must do.
From
Wikipedia
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The understanding issues hypothetical imperatives that tell us how to achieve the ends we have.
From theCambridge English Corpus
Most ends are of a subjective kind, because they need only be pursued if they are in line with some particularhypotheticalimperativethat a person may choose to adopt.
From
Wikipedia
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Proper reason, on this view, allows humans to discover actions that get them what they want (i.e., hypothetical imperatives) not necessarily actions that are moral.
From
Wikipedia
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Hypothetical imperatives provide the rules an agent must follow when she adopts a contingent end (an end based on desire or inclination).
From
Wikipedia
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Ends that are based on physical needs or wants always give merely hypothetical imperatives.
From
Wikipedia
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Therefore, a moral law could never rest on hypothetical imperatives, which only apply if one adopts some particular end.
From
Wikipedia
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Hypothetical imperatives apply to someone who wishes to attain certain ends.
From
Wikipedia
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Kant made a distinction between categorical and hypothetical imperatives.
From
Wikipedia
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To follow the practical law is to be autonomous, whereas to follow any of the other types of contingent laws (or "hypothetical imperatives") is to be heteronomous and therefore unfree.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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See other collocations withimperative