Kategoryczna

Kategoryczna is the feminine form of the Polish adjective kategoryczny, meaning categorical. It describes properties or statements that are unconditional, absolute, or universally applicable. In philosophy and logic, the term is closely associated with ideas of universality and necessity, as opposed to conditional or contingent statements.

In philosophy, the most famous use is the categorical imperative, or imperatyw kategoryczny. Coined by Immanuel Kant, it refers to a moral law that must be followed by rational beings regardless of personal desires or circumstances. The concept has become a reference point in discussions of moral law, duty, and rational justification, and the phrase kategoryczny imperatyw is regularly encountered in academic and popular treatments of Kant’s ethics. The adjective kategoryczny also appears in everyday Polish to describe statements or conclusions presented as absolute or undisputed, for example a kategoryczna odpowiedź or kategoryczne stwierdzenie.

In logic and the history of philosophy, kategoryczna describes categorical sentences and syllogisms, rooted in Aristotelian logic. A categorical sentence asserts a relationship between classes, such as "All humans are mortal." A sylogizm kategoryczny is a deductive argument form based on such sentences. These terms are used in discussions of classical logic, rhetoric, and the development of logical theory.

Etymology and usage notes: kategoryczny derives from kategoria (category) with a suffix typical for Polish adjectives, reflecting the sense of a category-like or universal form. The term has been reinforced by translations of Latin categoricus and by German kategorisch and French catégorique, especially in philosophical discourse.