<medioeval logic, ethics> an action guiding principle or policy, e.g., the carpenter's maxim, "Measure twice, cut once." According to Kant, a maxim is the subjective rule that an individual uses in making a decision. For him, all human actions are undertaken under the color of maxims, and the moral character of the act -- whether it's right or wrong -- depends on the universalizability or nonuniversalizability of the maxim under color of which it is undertaken. See categorical imperative.
based on [Ethics Glossary, Philosophical Glossary]
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