1. My comment was contra “the case that the categorical imperative tries to pull a fast one.” Evaluating this (the point of the OP) very much requires an understanding of intent.
2. Well sure, if you don’t care about the point of the OP, you can care about other things. Whether it is a useful framework for you to judge and cajole others in their actions is a very important question! You might still care about intent though. Is a handsaw the right tool for hammering a nail? I would recommend you look at a handsaw’s intended use case and rule it out. If you really want to see how it would do, okay then, I can’t really stop you. You can conclude a handsaw it bad at hammering nails, but don’t go to the hardware store and complain. Likewise, is the categorical imperative a good way to aggregate preferences? I say it’s not for that, so you don’t really have to try it. If you really want to see how it would do and find out that it’s bad for the job though, great. But don’t say you were duped!
1. My comment was contra “the case that the categorical imperative tries to pull a fast one.” Evaluating this (the point of the OP) very much requires an understanding of intent.
2. Well sure, if you don’t care about the point of the OP, you can care about other things. Whether it is a useful framework for you to judge and cajole others in their actions is a very important question! You might still care about intent though. Is a handsaw the right tool for hammering a nail? I would recommend you look at a handsaw’s intended use case and rule it out. If you really want to see how it would do, okay then, I can’t really stop you. You can conclude a handsaw it bad at hammering nails, but don’t go to the hardware store and complain. Likewise, is the categorical imperative a good way to aggregate preferences? I say it’s not for that, so you don’t really have to try it. If you really want to see how it would do and find out that it’s bad for the job though, great. But don’t say you were duped!