The Relations among Kant’s Formulas of the Categorical Imperative: Analogy, Republicanism, and Equivalence

Abstract

In the Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals , Kant introduces the Formula of Universal Law by saying that it is the one and only categorical imperative. Nevertheless, he proceeds to add a series of other formulas. Their wording differs significantly, and the relations among them are far from clear. In this article, I argue that Kant’s technical-philosophical conception of analogy provides the key to understanding the relations among the formulas. I propose solutions to most—if not all—difficulties commonly diagnosed in the literature, in large part by drawing on Kant’s distinctive republican political theory.