noun
A technical term in Kantian ethics, contrasting with the categorical imperative. Refers to a command of reason that applies only if one desires a particular end.
カント倫理学では、仮言命法は定言命法と対比される。
In Kantian ethics, the hypothetical imperative is contrasted with the categorical imperative.
定言命法 (categorical imperative) is an unconditional moral obligation, while 仮言命法 is conditional on a desired goal.
A compound of 仮言 (hypothetical statement) and 命法 (imperative, command), likely coined as a translation of the German 'hypothetischer Imperativ' in philosophical contexts.