Universalisability
The ethical principle that moral judgments must be universalizable: if an action is morally required for one person, it's required for anyone in relevantly similar circumstances. Kant's first formulation of the Categorical Imperative employs universalizability; it's also central to prescriptivism and rule utilitarianism.
Real World
When a politician claims expenses dishonestly but insists it's a one-off exception, they violate universalisability — Kant would argue that if everyone adopted the maxim 'lie to claim money,' the institution of honest accounting would collapse.
Exam Focus
When applying universalisability, always complete the logical test: state the maxim, universalise it, then show the contradiction — half marks are lost by stopping early.
How well did you know this?