idealem

Idealem is a neologism used in philosophy, design, and AI ethics to denote an imagined composite ideal that a system should aspire toward. It functions as a benchmark that blends multiple criteria—such as efficiency, fairness, transparency, safety, privacy, and sustainability—into a single guiding target. The term does not have a standardized definition, and its precise scope varies by author and context.

In practice, idealem is operationalized by articulating a value function or set of requirements that encodes the relative importance of the contributing criteria. It serves as a heuristic for decision-making, evaluation, and policy design, helping to frame trade-offs where real-world constraints prevent perfection. Because idealem is aspirational, most implementations treat it as a guiding ideal rather than a fixed, enforceable standard.

The concept is commonly discussed in relation to AI alignment, value-sensitive design, normative ethics, and multi-criteria decision analysis. Critics argue that relying on an idealem risks masking practical constraints or masking disagreement about which values should count and how they should be weighted; supporters maintain that it provides a common reference point for debate and iterative improvement.

See also: AI alignment, value-sensitive design, normative ethics, multi-criteria decision analysis, optimization under constraints.