Kategorikus

Kategorikus is a Hungarian adjective meaning related to categories, or more commonly, unconditional, absolute, or universally applicable. The term derives from Latin categoricus, via German kategorisch or French catégorique, and was adopted into Hungarian philosophical and scientific vocabulary to express notions of necessity and universality. In everyday language it can describe statements, judgments, or commands that are not conditional on particular circumstances.

In philosophy, categorikus is used mainly in the sense of Kant’s categorical imperative (kategorikus imperatívusz). In Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy, the categorical imperative is the principle by which one should act only according to maxims that can be willed as universal law, independent of personal desires or contingent ends. The adjective also appears in discussions of other categorical formulations, sometimes referred to as "kategorikus parancs" in Hungarian.

In logic and rhetoric, "kategorikus kijelentés" or "kategorikus állítás" denotes a categorical proposition—an assertion that relates all members of one category to all members of another, for example "Minden ember halandó." Such usage contrasts with hypothetical or conditional statements as well as with probabilistic or modal statements.

In contemporary usage, "kategorikus" often signals absoluteness or universality beyond strict formal logic, but its precise meaning depends on the disciplinary context, including philosophy, logic, and mathematics.