Now this principle of morality, just on account of the universality of the legislation which makes it the formal supreme determining principle of the will, without regard to any subjective differences, is declared by the reason to be a law for all rational beings, in so far as they have a will, that is, a power to determine their causality by the conception of rules; and, therefore, so far as they are capable of acting according to principles, and consequently also according to practical a priori principles (for these alone have the necessity that reason requires in a principle).
Etikotasunaren printzipio horrek, beraz, hura dituen ezberdintasun subjektibo guztiak kontuan hartu gabe nahimenaren determinazio-oinarri goren formala bihurtzen duen lege-ematearen orokortasuna dela eta, arrazoimena aldi berean zerizan arrazoidun ororen legetzat jotzen du, horiek oro har nahimen bat, hau da, euren kausalitatea erregelen errepresentazioaren bidez determinatzeko ahalmen bat duten heinean, eta beraz, ekintzak egiteko gai diren heinean oinarrizko esakuneen arabera eta, ondorioz, apriorizko printzipio praktikoen arabera (izan ere, horiek baino ez dute arrazoimena oinarrizko esakune bihurtzeko behar den beharrezkotasuna).