4:416-4:418

Kant describes within “Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals” the distinction between hypothetical imperatives, which exist in order to achieve some goal that is good, and categorical imperatives, which are good in themselves. He claims that one can assume happiness to be a shared aspiration among all rational beings, since they all have a natural and inherent need for it. The abilities and resources at a person’s disposal to acquire happiness are referred to as prudence, and Kant describes this as a hypothetical imperative, because it (prudence) is used to achieve something outside of itself (happiness).

Kant also claims that the ability to perform a task necessary to fulfill an imperative does not need to be thoroughly discussed, since the necessary actions are automatically associated with their achievements, and so they can be presupposed to occur if that achievement is fulfilled. He writes, “If I completely will the effect I also will the action required for it,” (4:417) since if a specific action is absolutely required to meet an end, that action alone cannot be separated from the idea of meeting that end.

However, there is a separation between the concepts of skill and prudence since the means of achieving happiness that would be directly associated with prudence are too indeterminate, ambiguous and diverse to be definitively indicated. Because happiness is vague and fleeting, and each person would require a great deal of different conditions to be met consistently in order to maintain it, and also because these conditions would be so strongly rooted in individual experience, no universal method of achieving happiness or skill required to do so could be specified.