metacriterion
noun/ˈmɛtəkɹaɪˌtɪɹiən/
Etymology From meta- + criterion.
1
A criterion used to choose between other criteria.
- If there must be a strict hierarchy, then one must ask what metacriteria should be used to determine which morality is best, which behavior most appropriate, which culture most "natural," "holy," or "reasonable."1997, Eric Mark Kramer, Modern/postmodern: Off the Beaten Path of Antimodernism, page 20: