 Although Kant sometimes writes as if it were difficult to see what practical reason requires (for instance, in his comments about practical wisdom: §3.2 below), he usually assumes that everyone readily grasps the fundamental principles which all can follow. That is, he is remarkably optimistic about people’s capacity for independent moral insight. In the recent literature there is some consensus that Kant failed to recognize the complexity and difficulty of moral reasoning (cf. Herman 1993: Ch. 4 &amp; 2007; O’Neill 1996). But judging what the Categorical Imperative requires only poses serious difficulties if Kant has adequately justified it. In particular, his equation of mere law-likeness with principles that all can follow may seem much too quick. To see what Kant means, it helps to consider some other principles that may sound stable or law-like but go beyond the “mere form of law”—and thereby fail to be justifiable. 