Kant Tried to State the Principle Behind Ordinary Moral Judgments
Kant proceeds by analyzing and elucidating commonsense ideas about morality, including the ideas of a good will and duty. The point is to arrive at a precise statement of the principle on which all ordinary moral judgments are based.
Those judgments are supposed to be ones any normal, sane, adult human being would accept, at least on due rational reflection. Many would now regard Kant as overly optimistic about the depth and extent of moral agreement. Perhaps he is best thought of as drawing on a moral viewpoint that is very widely shared and contains some general judgments that are very deeply held.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
The interesting move is starting with what people already mean by duty and a good will, then asking what principle those judgments presuppose.
That still leaves the genuine skeptic untouched: Kant does not appear to be primarily addressing someone who doubts she has any reason to act morally at all, no matter what culture she finds herself in.