  But the mystery may be normative rather motivational if we assume, following Kant, that moral reasons are categorical reasons. Categorical reasons are ones that apply to us independently of what we care about. One might doubt that there are any such reasons. One argument for such a view is that normative practical reasons must be the sort of thing from which we can act. So they must be able to motivate us to act, and they can only do that by latching onto something we care about. But if all practical reasons must be able to latch onto something we care about, then no reasons are categorical in the Kantian sense. So the very idea of a moral reason may be quite mysterious and queer.