Categorical imperative#
Summary#
Nietzsche subjects Kant’s categorical imperative to sustained critique in Beyond Good and Evil. He characterizes Kant’s dialectical method as a form of Tartuffery, using clever arguments to lead readers toward a predetermined moral conclusion that reflects Kant’s personal desires rather than genuine philosophical discovery. Nietzsche further suggests that assertions like “there is a categorical imperative in us” reveal more about the asserter’s psychology than about moral truth, indicating Kant’s demand that others obey as he himself knows how to obey.