The Smithian Categorical Imperative

The formulation of the Smithian Categorical Imperative is an attempt by the late Neil MacCormick in his last book, Practical Reason in Law and Morality (2008: 57-62) to combine Adam Smith’s “impartial spectator” with the Kantian “categorical imperative:”

“Enter as fully as you can into the feelings of everyone directly involved in or affected by an incident or relationship, and impartially form a maxim of judgment about what is right that all could accept if they were committed to maintaining mutual beliefs setting a common standard of approval and disapproval among themselves.”

Subsidiary Imperative:

“Act in accordance with that impartial judgment of what is right to do in respect of the given incident or relationship.”